Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance
by Emerald Sonata
Summary: It has been five years after the events of Soul Calibur IV. From a long slumber, Ashlotte finally reawakens to a strange warrior's will. Together, with new friends, they travel around the world in search of the broken shards of Soul Calibur.
1. Prologue

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will receive a proper sourcing.**_  
_**This is based from the famous sword-fighter game **_**"Soul Calibur IV"**_** by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

* * *

**{ ****Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance**** }****  
**[Prologue]

Ashlotte Maedel*, a mechanical human doll, has fulfilled her one and only purpose for existence: kill Astaroth*.

Created by the same cult who brought the wild human golem to life, she had set on a quest to find the rampaging giant and silence it forever. Made from chains of iron gears and cogs, she was built into the shape of a human female. Deprived of emotions and conscious thought, she came to life as a soulless being.

Though being able to move and speak accurately like a normal human, she was still considered a tool to the cult and their goals. Despite her living existence, she was even called an 'it'.

Still, she obediently followed her orders and set out to silence the golem, Astaroth.

When she had succeeded, she brought the fallen behemoth's body back to her masters as sign of proof.

Ashlotte now lies asleep in her bed of gorgeous flowers and goes into a long a deep slumber.

Five years have passed since then. The doll, once known as the Iron Maiden, awaits patiently for her future orders as she lays asleep, alone within the lost ruins of the forgotten cult temple…

* * *

**Author's Notes**

_"Soul Calibur IV"_ owned and produced by _NAMCO_ and _Bandai_.

Ashlotte's Biography information gathered from _SoulcaliburWiki_.


	2. Return of the Maiden

**_All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will receive a proper sourcing.  
This is based from the famous sword-fighter game _"Soul Calibur IV"_ by _NAMCO_ and _Bandai_._**

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }  
**[Chapter 1: Return of the Iron Maiden]

Across a tall and rocky mountain trail, the sun shines brightly from the clear blue sky. Its heat beat down on the silent plains as the rocks themselves were closed to melting. Winds howled across the quiet mountain as vultures stood at perch across a dead tree's branch. They hunched together and began to make their scheme as they eyed a young and exhausted stranger, with a traveling cloak and hood, down a long path.

A hand latched itself onto a nearby rock and a body pulled itself forward. It struggled up the steep hill as breaths of utter exhaustion buzzed it. Its shoulders shuddered as it lifted its tiring weight over a rocky ledge and finally collapsed across it.

The body rolled over with fatigue and blankly stared up into the sky. It was a young boy, with short wild red dark-cyan hair and dark blue eyes. His breath was haggard as the sun blazed against his body.

With a quick movement, the boy was able to regain an ounce of energy to sit up. To him, it was a tiring act. He sat up and plopped his back against a boulder and his sights slowly strolled up across the long trail.

"Gre~at. 104 steps down…2587 steps to go…"

He dropped his head back against the rock. He instantly flinched and perked his head forward, when it landed painfully against the rock's surface. The boy rubbed the back of his head as he stared up the steep hill.

He then pulled out an object from his sleeve and held it under the sun.

It was a long and thick needle like sky-blue crystal. It glinted heavenly under the sun's stare as the boy simply eyed it.

"Are you sure it's here?"

The crystal did not reply in words, but it replied another way. It hummed a bright glow, despite the blinding sun rays. The boy returned a tired nod, but did not do anything else. All he could do was place the crystal back into his sleeve again.

"Yep…it's here…" he breathed, "Oh well…halfway there anyways, might as well finish this…"

The boy stood back up and threw his hood over his head. With a long and deep sigh, he trudged up the hill again.

The boy plopped down across the cold stone floor as he huffed with utter exhaustion. After many several hours or so, he finally reached a ruined stone building.

He sat within the ruins of an old forgotten temple of some sorts. Rubble and debris littered the entire grounds. Once majestic pillars were pathetically toppled over and lay broken across the cobblestone floor. Dusty and mouldy banisters and cloth hung lifelessly across broken wooden beams and former stone tables.

The boy rapidly fanned his hands against his steaming face. He quickly threw back his hood as he breathed dryly against the dusty air. He choked as the dirt-filled air slapped his face.

"Gah! Bleh! Bluh! Blahk!"

His cough finally ended as he stood up. He shook his head and turned to survey the remains of the once used-to-be-temple.

"Man…wished they clean this place once in a while, even if no one lives here!" The boy coughed on last time and strode forward.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a creak below him. He slowly gazed down at his feet and a chill shot up his spine, despite the sun's heat.

He stood right upon a broken wooden flooring. His heart skipped a beat as he carefully examined the floor below him. It was about to snap under his weight if he had moved any further.

He sheepishly smiled and cautiously withdrew his feet one step back. Inch by inch, his foot carefully lifted off of the floor. For a moment, a groan echoed and the boy tightened his eyes anxiously.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes and watched the floor again. The ground did not break. The boy sighed and rested his feet back from the wooden flooring.

Without warning, the ground below him cave in.

"WOAH!"

With a loud cry, the boy plummeted down into the dark depths of the ruins.

[******]

Within a dark and empty stone chamber, it was completely void of light. Silence hung in the air as the gentle snores of bats could be heard from even a mile away.

Suddenly, a floor of light flashed from above and filled the chamber floor brightly. Bats were startled awake by a blood-curdling cry and they frantically dispersed throughout the entire chamber ceiling. As the cry grew louder, the bats instantly disappeared into several caves.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

_**BOOM!**_

A storm of dust kicked up from the ground as a figure crashed right down. Rocks and debris rained from above as the light danced through them with an eerie flash. In short seconds, everything fell silent again. Now the light was fully exposed from a hole in the chamber ceiling and rubble clumped together in a massive heap.

The rubble suddenly twitched, as if an awakening beast, and slowly straightened to its full height. Instantly the rubble burst apart from a crystal-blue flash and debris were thrown away from the pile's center.

A freezing dome was fully exposed in the center of the heap and it slowly retracted back into the earth. It slowly revealed the boy with cyan hair, who was knelt down on one knee.

His hands were clung to his head as he slowly lowered them. He stared around at the chamber with anxious eyes. Finally he released a sigh of relief.

"Oh man…what a day…"

He stood up to his full height and tried to walk over the piles of rock and broken wood. From time to time his feet got stuck in the swamp-like debris and he would struggle to free them.

Soon he was out of the pile and collapsed to his knees with an exhausted breath.

"That shard better be here or I am so gonna…"

His voice trailed off when he raised his eyes to look up ahead. They widened with bewilderment. A meter away, he saw an unbelievable sight.

There was a large dark flower bed ahead of him. It was filled with dead and withered pedals of once beautiful flowers. They looked extremely old, thought the boy, old enough to turn to dust by a single touch. On top of the ancient flowerbed, slept a strange girl.

Unlike the flowers, she was well preserved and very beautiful. Her skin was greyish-white, her hair was long, swirly, and tied by a thin manacle-like brace, and she wore a long and strange white and black bonnet. Her dress was a strange crossbreed between a lady's dress and metal armor. It was black and white with a long metal frame gown and iron plating skirt that parted away to fully expose her legs with rose-stockings. She had a quiet and serene look on her face as she peacefully slept in silence.

The boy slowly crawled up to her side and was dazzled by her complexion. The light gently reflected off her pale white cheeks as the boy curiously stared at her.

"Uh…excuse me?"

The girl did not answer.

"H-hello?"

The boy lightly tapped the girl's shoulder. Not a reaction was made.

"H-hey…"

The boy gently pushed at the girl. She still did not budge.

"Hey, wake up! You're not dead are you?-!"

Frantically, the boy lowered his head towards the girl's heart. He instantly froze two inches above her chest and instantly straightened away. His face madly burned as he realized a near-fatal mistake.

He gulped down his fear and slowly drew his left hand over the girl's neck. He placed three fingers across the girl's throat. He would try to hear her pulse this way, he sheepishly thought.

The boy pressed down and his mind went still. His fingers did not even move. The boy examined her neck and lightly pressed down again. It was as if she was checking the pulse of a rock.

He instantly whipped his hand back with a frightful thought and stared at the girl again. She was still asleep, yet he could not see any signs of breathing. She looked dead still, but the boy somehow felt that she still had a soul and was still alive. Just how can you prove it, he thought to himself.

His eyes then glimpsed at a peculiar sight, down at the girl's mid-body. There was a heart-shaped opening right over her stomach. He took a closer look to see multiple gears and cogs placed together. Non of them moved though.

Curiosity overwhelmed the boy as he sat back and gazed at the sleeping girl.

"Strange…her neck is as hard as steel...her stomach are made up of gears…" The boy scratched his head for a moment, "a…machine of some sort?"

The girl did not answer his question as he continued to stare at her.

"No…" The boy grinned as he gazed closer at the graceful girl, "You have a soul…I can feel it."

Suddenly, a creak made his smile falter.

He slowly stared up above his head and his face went pale.

"WAH!"

The boy had leapt out of the way in time to avoid a swinging chandelier. It swooped right by, after a support beam had broken, and it smashed into a nearby chamber wall. The chamber shook as pebbles and dust rained down.

As he felt the earth trembled around him, he instantly shielded the girl with his body. The ground continued as a couple of large boulders crashed harmlessly away from the boy and sleeping girl. Soon, the shaking stopped.

The boy perked his head up when he felt the earthquake subsided. He let out a sigh of relief and turned to look down at the girl. He lightly brushed away a patch of stone dirt from the girl's cheek and smiled with relief.

A snarl began to echo into the boy's ear. His spine went cold and slowly raised his head and to look around him.

From several cave mouths, multiple pairs of glowing yellow eyes hovered within its darkness. Figures started to form as they slowly marched out of their resting places.

The boy cautiously looked around and silently pulled out his blue crystal.

Without warning, all of the cave's figures lunged forward at the boy. They were instantly revealed, under the sun's rays, to be humanoid lizards with blood-thirsty snarls.

The boy bolted to his feet and swung his right arm, with the crystal in his hand. He crushed it in palm and it shattered into glowing blue dust. In an instant, the dust began to materialize itself within his hand.

A lizard brought down its axe with a blood-curdling screech. Its screech was instantly silenced.

The other lizards stopped their attack. They nervously eyed a shining crystal blade that was struck through the lead lizard's chest. The blade was withdrawn and the creature fell limp onto the chamber floor. The lizard pack turned to their opponent.

The boy held onto a shining crystal longsword. It had a long triangular blade with a magnificently crafted hilt and guard. Its glimmering and stainless crystal blue edge brightly shone against the sun's ray as the lizards began to cower from its glare.

The boy grinned and raised his sword over his head in ready position.

"You guys don't know me? The name's Seele Rubilac and I want you guys to meet _Azure_!"

The lizards roared simultaneously and one by one they attacked. The boy, Seele, grinned and swung his sword, _Azure_, in a massive arc. In one swipe, three lizards were sliced across the chest. Shifting the weight of his swing, he used his sword's momentum to whirl around like a cyclone. The lizards that surrounded him were either thrown back or slain and fell limply to the ground.

Seele rested his longsword by his side just as he finished his deadly cyclone. Two lizards skirted around behind him and lashed out their axes at his back. Seele turned to look over his shoulder with a smile. He instantly back-stepped in time for both lizards' axes to strike passed his shoulders, missing him. The lizards vaulted over and skidded right in front of him. They veered around to attack again. The boy twirled _Azure_ around and blocked off the lizard's quick attacks. He then whirled around and slashed right through their guards. The two lizards fell dead across the ground as Seele grinned and shouldered his sword.

That was when he heard snarling behind him and he turned. He nearly tripped over his own feet from what he saw.

Three lizards were slowly approaching the sleeping girl.

"Darn it!" Quickly, Seel broke into a run.

A lizard stared at the girl with its yellow eyes as the other two licked their lips with hunger. The lizard nearest to the girl raised its axe with a screech. The girl made no reaction whatsoever.

A crystal sword spun through the air and struck true through the attacking creature's chest. The two other lizards spun around to see the other slowly stumbling around.

"Get away from her!" The two lizards turned to the voice.

Seele ran up to the lizard, with his sword through its chest, and leapt forward. He stomped at the back of the lizard just as his hand grasped at the hilt. Seele pulled back his sword and the lizard flew forward to bowl into the other two lizards. They all tumbled away from the girl as Seele stood guard by her side.

The boy grew a little nervous as he saw more lizards appear out of the caves. He turned this what and that and saw he was closely surrounded. He glimpsed at the girl with worried eyes.

"There has to be a way to wake her up…"

He quickly knelt by the girl's side and struggled to awaken her.

"Hey! Wake up! This isn't the time to sleep! Come on, wake up!"

The girl still slept in silence. Seele let out an anxious breath.

"Look's like I'll just have to carry you out!"

Seele quickly curled his arm under the girl's neck and shoulder and heaved her forward. His arm nearly popped out of his sockets with painful bewilderment. He tried to pull up the girl again. Again, his arm was nearly ripped off.

He felt like he was trying to lift a boulder.

Seele kept trying. He struck his sword to his right and used both hands. His strained to pull up the girl, to at least in a sitting position, but even if his face went purple she would not move.

"How much to you weigh?-!" he breathed through his teeth. A snarl caught him off guard.

His hand flew to his sword and he slashed apart a flying lizard. More lizards leapt around like frogs and tried to attack him from all directions.

Skilfully, he blocked every attack he could as he struggled to protect the girl.

"Please! Wake up!"

Suddenly, a lizard leapt off of his head and the force pushed him forward. His face then fell flat on flat what seemed to be the ground. He could not tell what he fell on as he slowly opened his dazed eyes. When he could see, his dizziness immediately vacated his mind.

The boy was kissing the sleeping girl's lips.

Slowly, the girl's eyes opened. Seele's entire body went ice cold.

He reared back just as the girl blankly blinked up at the ceiling. The lizards stopped their attacks and watched with curiosity.

Like a wind-up doll, the girl slowly creaked her head to the right, then to the left, and finally back to center. Her shoulders slowly shook as they were pulled up by a pair of invisible hands. Seele blinked with bewilderment as the girl slowly sat up, her head loosely back.

When she sat up straight, her head limply hung forward. That was when her arms slowly twitched and begun to move. Inch by inch they slowly lifted up into the air. Eventually the arms smoothly moved like a human arm. The girl's legs lightly twitched, like a real doll, and the girl's head slowly raised.

Seele could not believe what he saw as he stare at the girl. Smoothly, the girl turned and blankly gazed at Seele.

"Uh…good morning?" whispered Seele. The girl blinked and returned a gentle nod.

"Good morning."

The pack of lizards suddenly shook themselves awake and remembered what they wanted to do. They all attacked Seele and the girl at once.

The girl turned to the lizards and drove her hand into the dead-flower bed. From underneath the dusty covers, a large and heavy halberd was drawn.

In an instant, a cloud of lizards were batted away and scattered all over the chamber floor. They tossed and turned in pain as they gave off scowls of agony.

Seele silently watched the girl stood to her full height and gracefully wielded her large metal halberd. He too slowly came to his feet and held his crystal sword by his side.

"Uh…I'm Seele Rubilac...May I know your name?"

The girl turned with gentle grace to Seele. Her expression was blank and passive as she did a small curtsy.

"Greetings, Master Seele, my name is Ashlotte."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

_"Soul Calibur IV"_ owned and produced by _NAMCO_ and _Bandai_.

_Ashlotte_: A bonus character from _"Soul Calibur IV"_. She is designed by Ito Ogure. Her in-game fighting style is based off of Astaroth. In the **Soul Resonance**, her fighting style is a mix of: Astaroth, Seoung-Mina, and Hildegard. Her main weapon is a halberd named Krnielk.

Information gathered from SoulcaliburWIKI.


	3. Soulless and Clueless

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**_  
_**This is based from the famou sword-fighter game **_**"Soul Calibur IV"**_** by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }**  
[Chapter 2: Soulless and Clueless]

Seele Rubilac quietly stared into the bright yellow eyes of the awakened Ashlotte as she blankly gazed back at him.

"A…Ashlotte?" he wondered. Ashlotte nodded.

"Yes." she spoke softly.

"Th-that's…a nice name…" sheepishly breathed Seele.

"Thank you," nodded Ashlotte

A low sound of snarls buzzed around the two. Seele and Ashlotte turned to look around them. They were still surrounded by blood-thirsty lizardmen.

Seele grimaced as he stood back to back with Ashlotte. He readied his crystal longsword, _Azure_, as he cautiously eyed the advancing enemies. Ashlotte pulled up her large iron halberd as she passively stood at the ready.

"I'll watch your back," proposed Seele and grinned over his shoulder, "you'll watch mine."

Ashlotted nodded and tightened her grip, "Understood."

"GO!"

Instantly, Seele bolted forward and took on three lizardmen. Ashlotte stood her ground just as she held back four lizards' axes with her halberd.

Seele vaulted over one charging lizard and struck at the next. His sword reflected off from the lizard's shield and he threw a quick kick at its shin. The creature faltered and Seele thrust his sword through its chest. Swiftly, he drew it out and swung around gracefully to cut down two more lizards. Instantly, they both fell back into the darkness.

Ashlotte side-stepped from a lizard's attack and jabbed the end of her halberd into the back of the lizard's neck. It instantly dropped dead from the heavy blow. She peered over her shoulders and swung her halberd around. As she swung, her weapon scraped across the ground in a wide arc and she lifted it into a pair of lizardmen. They took the full force of the blow and they were thrown high off their feet.

The two warriors back-stepped into one another as lizardmen charged at them. They skilfully fended off their attacks and took them down one by one.

After Seele had struck down a nearby lizard, he thrust his sword over his shoulder. The blade missed Ashlotte's head and thrust over her own shoulder. The sword _Azure_ then impaled a nearby lizardman that attacked at Ashlotte's right. Before it laid its deadly axe over her head, the lizard hung lifelessly on the blade. At the same time, Ashlotte swung the other end of her halberd behind her and over Seele's waist. The long weapon's end smashed into the hip of a lizard and knocked it to one side of the chamber.

Seele shared a grin with Ashlotte as she calmly pulled back her weapon.

Soon, all the lizards were dead. Seele let out a sigh of relief, but more echoes began to haunt his sanity.

"Shoot! The caves!"

Ashlotte turned to see the several caves that led into the chamber they stood in. Quickly, the two broke away from one another.

"Take down the caves before more shows up!" called Seele.

"Understood," replied Ashlotte.

Ashlotte heavily swung her halberd and smashed against the chamber walls. The attack instantly made the caves' mouths collapse in on themselves.

Seele spun in the air and sliced through several stone supports. When the rocky supports were broken, the caves immediately collapsed. Rocks fell over and closed off the entrance just as a pair of unhuman yellow eyes glinted at Seele and disappeared under the debris.

The boy released a sigh. He held his sword up to shoulder level and stared at it for a moment. The sword automatically burst into a mist of blue dust and soon transformed back into his long crystal needle. He replaced it back into his sleeve and he headed towards the spot where Ashlotte once slept on.

Just as Seele reached the center of the chamber, Ashlotte arrived as well. He smiled at the sight of her as she walked towards him in an awkward pace.

"Nice job back there, Ashlotte."

Ashlotte did not answer as she came to a stop right before Seele. He eyed at her with confusion as she still had a blank expression.

"A…Ashlotte?"

Suddenly, her body quivered and a metallic creak groaned around her. Then she slowly teetered forward onto Seele.

"Hey!"

Ashlotte's body swayed onto Seele and they both fell back together.

"WHOA!"

They collapsed across the chamber floor with a heavy thud. Seele choked as he felt an unbelievably heavy burden weight against his body. Unable to understand it, he gazed at Ashlotte who was lying across him from her fall.

"Are you okay?" he wheezed. He tried to push her up, but he felt like he was forcing a boulder to move.

Automatically, Ashlotte lifted herself off of Seele and sat up herself. She blinked and quietly stared at her legs. Seele sat up as well as he rubbed the throbbing pain in his chest.

"Don't mind me asking this but…how much do you wei−"

"My left leg can't move," said Ashlotte, monotonously.

"…Sorry?"

Seele coughed one last time before he moved forward to examine Ashlotte's leg. By her left foot, he stared down on a piece of metal that was wedged into her leg.

"You're hurt!" cried Seele, "I'll get you to the doctor right away!"

"That won't be necessary."

"What?"

Seele turned to Ashlotte. Her yellow eyes blinked as she had no expression of pain on her face.

"I cannot feel pain…"

Seele paused for a moment and glimpsed at Ashlotte's stomach. The gears that once were frozen were moving again.

"Oh…I see…" breathed Seele. He then shook off a thought and turned back to her leg, "still let me see if I can help."

"Thank you," replied Ashlotte.

"You're welcome…"

Seele focused as he eyed the damage on Ashlotte's leg. He lightly felt around the metallic scar. Her legs were stiff as iron, he thought. He then noticed a formation of a metal panel that must have covered her leg's gears.

Suddenly, he blushed. There was something that had to be done first.

"Uh…Ashlotte…"

"Yes?"

"I think I know where the problem is. Something must have been damaged in your leg. There's a panel that I can take off to see inside but…"

Ashlotte cocked her head to one side, "But?"

"I need you to…to…roll down…your…stockings…" Seele felt the very air leave his lungs and he turned away with an embarrassed look, "sorry…"

After a quiet pause, Ashlotte returned a nod.

"Understood."

As told, she rolled off her stocking from her left leg and all the way down to her ankle. Seele kept his gaze turned away as she did so.

"I am done," answered Ashlotte. She curiously gazed at Seele. He took in a deep breath.

He mustered all of his courage and turned back to her leg. To his surprise, without the stocking he could automatically tell that her leg was not human. They were iron, steel, metal, and bolts forged magnificently to resemble a real female leg. He felt somewhat impressed with its intricate crafting.

He turned to the scar on Ashlotte's leg and pulled away the panel he saw. Under the panel were strange gears, pulleys, and other complex-designed mechanics that moved fluently with one another. Seele noticed one latch that was broken off at one end.

"Something must have broken off while we were fighting those lizards…I'm no blacksmith, but I'll see what I can do."

Seele gently lifted Ashlotte's leg onto his lap and held a hand over the exposed part of her gears. Slowly, his eyes closed and he focused.

A frosty mist materialized under his hand. It slowly steamed over the broken gear and instantly formed a crystal icicle that rejoined the two pieced together. The two frozenly welded pieces were held tightly together as they started to move as one. Soon, Ashlotte's foot twitched and moved again.

Seele reopened his eyes and the mist faded away. He pulled his hand back with a smile and replaced the metal panel onto Ashlotte's leg.

"Thank you," said Ashlotte. She blinked at her moving leg again as it was gingerly lowered back to the ground by Seele. He turned away again as the girl pulled her stockings back up her leg and hid a blush.

Then she tried to stand. Seele stood up to assist her.

"Here, let me help you," offered Seele.

He gently placed his hand under Ashlotte's left arm to support her. He began to pull her up, but suddenly fell back onto the chamber floor. It was as if he had pulled on thin air. Not knowing why, he sat up and rubbed his head from the fall. He looked at Ashlotte for a transient moment and his eyes widen.

Ashlotte perked up her head with realization and turned to her left shoulder. She passively blinked at it.

Her arm was missing from her shoulder. Seele stare at the Ashlotte with a horrified look and stared down.

Resting across his lap was Ashlotte's stiff and lifeless arm.

The silence shattered like hundreds of glass windows from the sudden shriek Seele gave off.

"Sorry about you're arm…" uttered Seele, "I never knew it could…easily fall off…"

"Neither did I," said Ashlotte.

Still trapped in the dark and gloomy chamber, the Seele and Ashlotte sat together on top of Ashlotte's dead flower bed. The boy had just woken up from his sudden coma as he sheepishly hung his head in apology. Ashlotte said nothing as she struggled to fit her arm back into her shoulder socket. Not a single ounce of anger nor frustration creased over her grey-white complexion.

"My last masters created me. They should have been aware of certain flaws in my design. Please do not feel guilty for your mistaken action."

Seele slowly nodded, "I'll try to be careful with you in the future."

Seele quietly watched Ashlotte replace her arm in silence. After some time, she was successful and her left arm held firm in the air, connected to her shoulder. She tried to move it, but the arm made no reaction as it awkwardly hung in a strange and gnarled form. It soon fell off and cluttered across the floor. Ashlotte merely kept her expressionless gaze as her shoulders sag.

"I'll help," said Seele.

He took a moment to regain his frightened mind and he picked up Ashlotte's arm. The boy carefully tried to insert Ashlotte's arm, back into her shoulder, as she blankly stared at him.

"Who were your masters anyway?" wondered Seele. Ashlotte blinked for a moment and turned away.

"I do not know."

"You don't?"

Ashlotte shook her head.

"I only know I was built for one purpose. My orders were to kill the giant Astaroth."

"Astaroth?"

Seele froze for a moment and he gazed up Ashlotte's blank stare. Her arm was gingerly held in the boy's hand.

"I…have heard of him. He was a servant to Nightmare, the Azure Knight…am I correct," spoke Seele, "When was this?"

"Five years ago, I guess," answered Ashlotte.

Seele's heart skipped a beat, "Five…years ago…"

"Yes. Is something the matter, Seele?"

"N-nothing…I'm fine…"

"But you look pale."

"I'm fine…" Seele froze for a moment when he felt something cold touch his head.

Ashlotte had rested her forehead against Seele's and waited silently for something. She pulled away and gazed at him.

"Your temperature is a little high, but I believe you are fine," she answered. Seele's cheeks blushed. He quickly returned to fixing Ashlotte's arm.

"What happened for these past five years?" she wondered.

Seele took in a deep breath and released a solemn sigh.

"Despite the last battle for Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, the war between the two great swords still did not end," he said. He readjusted the angle of Ashlotte's arm and continued, "Their wielders, Nightmare and Siegfried have disappeared since. Even then the two swords clashed…their struggle against one another was so strong they did not need the help of any wielder…They've fought relentlessly, to find who will be the last one to stand…" The angle of Ashlotte's arm did not seem to work and the boy tried again, "Then it happened…"

"What?" wondered Ashlotte. Seele paused for a moment, sighed, and shortly sagged his shoulders.

"…Soul Calibur and Soul Edge destroyed themselves…"

Ashlotte made no answer as she watched Seele pull away from her shoulder. His eyes were half-open, as if he had dwelled in a sad dream. He continued to find a way to fix the girl's arm as he examined her shoulder socket. As he spoke, he slowly placed in Ashlotte's arm.

"The two great swords were shattered from their long fight and their remains are scattered throughout the four corners of the globe…Eventually their very existence began to fade into history and were soon considered as myths and fairy-tale legends…"

Suddenly, a click sound snapped out and surprised him. Seele stared down at Ashlotte's arm. He had finally fixed it. He released her arm as her fingers began to move.

"Alright, I did it!" beamed Seele, "here, try to straighten it for me."

Ashlotte straightened her left arm fully. Accidentally, though, her fist slammed into Seele's chest. He held back a groan and toppled over. The girl examined her hand as they moved freely and then looked down at Seele.

"Is something the matter, Master Seele?" she wondered.

"Nothing," wheezed Seele. He struggled back up into his seat and cracked a gentle smile at Ashlotte, "just happy to see your arm's fixed." He gave a short coughed.

"Thank you," said Ashlotte. Seele returned a friendly wave, stood up, and looked around the chamber. Ashlotte stood up to her feet and folded her hands over her dress. She turns to gaze at Seele.

"Master Seele, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," he answered.

"Why are you here?"

Seele stopped looking and fell silent. He stared up at the chamber ceiling, a sad smile appeared on him.

"To make a long story short, in all honesty…I am trying to rebuild Soul Calibur…"

Ashlotte stared at the boy as he gave a faint smile. It felt it was more for himself than anyone.

"I wish to revive Soul Calibur. Not for fame, not for glory…but something I have to do…"

"What is it that you seek from its revival?"

Seele hesitated for a moment, "Uh…I'm sorry, but…I really can't tell you…yet…"

Ashlotte blinked, "I understand."

"Y-you do?" stuttered Seele.

Ashlotte returned a nod, "Yes."

Seele cracked a thankful smile at her as she blankly stared at him. He remembered something and started to rummage through his left sleeve.

"What I can tell you," he said, "is this…"

He pulled out the crystal needle from his sleeve and held it in the air. Ashlotte stared at it as the crystal glittered beautifully. Despite its awe-inspiring glow, she felt nothing.

"This is _Azure_, my shard…of Soul Calibur…" said Seele, "I'm using this to help me recover the scattered fragments. Today, it led me here to find one…I hope…"

Ashlotte cocked her head to one side as she examined the crystal, "Hope?"

"Yeah. There were painful moments when this thing misguided me a couple of times…especially that lions' den the other day. Turns out it was glowing because there was a survivor inside it and needed help…" Seele gave an exhausted sigh, "He's probably back at home, having a nice homemade stew…"

A growled echoed around the chamber and Seele blushed.

"Ah…you're kidding me…" he whimpered. He stumbled around with a tired moan as he looked around, "Maybe _Azure_ led me here so I could help you leave this reaper's room, don't you think so Ashlotte…Ashlotte?"

Seele turned to Ashlotte did not answer. She was not by his side, but knelt right next to her dead flower bed. She brushed away the dark flowered around her, with her fixed hand. Soon, a shining blue crystal poked out from under the flowers and she pulled it out. She turned to Seele and held it in the air before him.

"Is this what you are looking for?"

"Yes! How did you get this?"

Ashlotte paused for a moment, "I saw it in my dreams."

"Dreams?"

The girl pulled out Seele's hand and rested the crystal into his open palm.

"This is for helping me wake up again." She gave a deep bow, "Thank you."

Seele blushed madly when he reminded himself how she woke up. He thanked her for the finding and bashfully turned away. To drown out the thought from his mind, he held the two crystals together.

They resonated with one another with a lively glow. Frosty mist melted off from the smaller shard and wrapped itself around the crystal needle. Soon, the small crystal melted away into the air and its energy was transferred into the core of _Azure_. Seele smiled widely as he examined his glowing crystal.

"Another down, several more to go…" He then turned to Ashlotte with a, "Thank you, Ashlotte!"

Ashlotte leaned her head to one side curiously. Nonetheless, she straightened herself and bowed as well, "Your welcome. Master Seele."

Seele stood back up and grinned at her, "Just Seele is fine."

"…Understood, Seele," replied Ashlotte. The boy could not help but gently stroke the girl's cheek like a good little girl.

Though she was not human, she did not know why his touch felt so…strangely comfortable.

Seele gave Ashlotte another smile and turned to look around for an exit, "Now…to get us out of here…"

Ashlotte blinked and looked up at the high chamber ceiling. She glimpsed at a large hole above her that let light in. It had a distinct look to a human-shaped hole.

"Ugh, in this domey-cave, there's no way we can climb back out. Man, what I wouldn't give for a ladder right about—"

"I know a way out," she proposed.

Seele turned to her with surprise, "Y-You do? How?"

A pale white hand instantly gripped at the collar of Seele's clothing.

"…Eh?"

With a mighty heave, Ashlotte tossed a bewildered Seele upward. In seconds he flew through multiple ceiling holes, which were made by him earlier on. His scream echoed madly throughout the underground ruins.

[******]

Inside the temple ruins, a figure burst from under the old wooden flooring and soared into the air. A loud thud rang when it finally landed across the cobblestone ground.

"Ow…" wheezed Seele.

Behind him, another figure zipped right out and gracefully landed on its two feet. The figure stood up to its full height as the sun revealed her pale-white face and bright yellow eyes.

"Nice throw…" coughed Seele. Ashlotte turned and deeply bowed.

"Please forgive me, Seele."

"No…problem…"

Ashlotte stood back up as Seele returned to his feet. He brushed off the clouds of dust from his clothes and looked around him. He strode forward through the entrance he had once entered and stared out of the doorway. He cringed with exhaustion when his eyes saw the deep steep path, which he had worked hard to scale in the first place.

"Oh, heck no! There is no way on earth I am going down that trail and leave with both my sanity and life!" he groaned. Seele muttered under his breath and lightly tapped his head against a half-standing pillar.

Ashlotte strode out from behind him and eyed another pillar. She gazed from top to bottom at the nearby structure and then turned to an agony-stricken Seele.

"There has to be some other way to get down that blasted hill…"

A loud hacking noise shattered Seele' tired thoughts. He turned around to look over his shoulder and instantly whirled his entire body around with fear.

A massive halberd smashed into the base of a nearby pillar. Deep stone fissures opened up as chipped debris scattered across Seele's feet. To his amazement, Ashlotte was cutting down the pillar like a tree. With a few more hacks, she made the pillar fall over on her.

Seele was about to rush towards the girl, but froze. Ashlotte gently pushed the massive pillar back with only her left hand and it safely fell away from her with a mighty crash. A shiver went up Seele's spine at the very sight of Ashlotte's unnatural strength.

"A-Ashlotte…what are you doing?"

[******]

"WAHOOO!"

Down the steep and barren hill, a long stone sled skidded across the snow-like gravel. It swiftly dove down the trail, creating a wake of dust in its path. Within the stone sled sat a quiet Ashlotte and an excited Seele.

"You are amazing, Ashlotte!" cried Seele, ecstatically. Ashlotte merely held onto the edge of the carved out pillar and tried to use her own weight to steer through the mountainous torrent.

The sled leapt off of a big jump and lingered through the air. Seele cried out with like a happy child and felt the heavy thud of landing run up his spine.

"Man! I wish people would have thought of this sooner!" he smiled. He then eyed a large and rocky ramp right before them. He smiled even wider as he held on tight.

"Here we go!"

In seconds, the sled flew off high into the air as Seele could not help but hold out his arms like a bird. He never knew flying was this fun, he thought with a great smile.

That was when he opened his eyes and looked down. His heart skipped a beat.

"Uh…oh…"

Ashlotte simply blinked without any sense of emotion.

Way below the stone sled's flight, was nothing but empty air. They had accidentally shot off from the tight corner of the mountain's trail. Now they were hovering over thin air.

Eventually, Ashlotte and Seele began to fall.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

_"Soul Calibur IV"_ and all of its characters are owned and created by _Namco_ and _Bandai_.


	4. Bakka

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will receive a proper sourcing.**__  
__**This is based from the famous sword-fighter game **_**"Soul Calibur IV"**_** by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }**  
[Chapter 3: Bakka]

The calm and peaceful winds of the north gently swept across the crown of a mighty forest. Lively emerald leaves danced from the wind. A silent rhythm cascaded over them and the branches swayed in cadence. A sweet note of a nearby nightingale sang out loud with nature's blessed music. All was at peace.

That was when a mighty roar shattered the calm. Even the nightingale gasped with fear.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

A massive club swiped at the ground in a deadly arc. Monstrous creatures shrieked simultaneously. They were thrown off their flesh-ripping feet and into the earth and the faces of several boulders.

In the center of the chaos spun a red and black blur. It tore through a large group of hungry beasts as they were all tossed into the air like toys. They dropped back down with a thud as the figure's spin came to a stop.

The light revealed the figure to be a little girl, nearly at the age of twelve or younger. She wore a strange and ancient robe of Oriental origin, somewhat of a short kimono. It was black with flame decal across the edges of her clothing and left sleeve. Her right sleeve was torn off to reveal her arm from above the elbow to her hand. Old bandages were wrapped around her forearm. Also, a set of large pearl-white prayer beads hung around her neck.

She huffed with exhaustion as she swiped her hand through her short and bright red hair. A pair of thin hair-braids dangled off to one side of her hairstyle. As well on top of the girl's head, off to one side of her skull, poked out a pair of yellow horns.

The girl glared at the unconscious creatures with her angry yellow eyes and sneered.

"I told you already! Leave me alone!" she shrieked.

A giant object dropped down from the sky and landed right behind her. She glared over her shoulder with absolute spite. From behind, an enormous bear growled madly at her and lashed out its claws.

A massive explosion erupted over the forest head as a cloud of birds evacuated their perches.

The bear shivered with absolute horror. A long metal club struck a massive boulder behind its shoulder, narrowly missing its neck. Its eyes trailed from the club and at the small red-headed girl, who wielded the club with her left hand.

"I said leave me alone…" she growled lowly, "got it memorized?"

With another groan, the girl yanked out her sword-like club and rested it on her shoulder. She turned her back on the bear and stormed off. The bear collapsed to its knee, a shiver shot up its spine. It finally let out a breath of relief.

Suddenly, it heard a cracking noise. It turned around just in time to see the boulder behind it started to crack. Right before the creature's very eyes, the boulder snapped in two like an egg. Then like iron, several trees behind the rock bended from an abrupt invisible force. A horrified drop of sweat crawled down the bear's nose.

With another huff, the red-headed little girl walked off into the distance and muttered under her breath.

"Geez!" growled the red-headed girl.

She hefted her long and heavy club over her right shoulder. She strolled through a forest path that was bounded by a large mountain wall. A groan of frustration relentlessly muttered through her lips.

"These foreign animals really don't know when to quit – _desu_!" She practically sneered as she reminded herself of the recent event, "Just because they're hungry doesn't mean they can eat whatever they want! Even an oni like myself would have at least some decent manners – _desu_!"

Suddenly she whirled on the spot with an enraged face. She began to scream at the empty space behind with boiling fury.

"IS IT JUST BECAUSE I'M SMALL MEAN THAT YOU CAN EASILY TEAR ME APART?-!"

A cricket chirped, as if it heard a joke. The oni girl glared into one general direction and the noise fell silent. She huffed again with a sneer.

"Foreign animals! Foreign forest…" mumbled the girl. As she kept ranting with annoyance, she failed to notice a shadow loom over her head, "Foreign rocks…foreign trees…foreign wind!" The shadow grew larger and larger over her. She spitefully went on and on, "Foreign roads…foreign country…FOREIGN HUM–" She noticed the shadow that was painted against her crossed arms. Obliviously, she looked up. Her eyes went wide.

A large stone fell from the sky, right over her head.

[******]

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

A massive explosion of dust blew up into the sky from a boulder's fall. The entire air was filled with dirt and sand as the trees swayed from the sudden landing. As the dust cleared, it revealed the rock to have a strange outlook. It was large but awkwardly carved and badly damaged all over its body. There was also an empty space that was gouged out from the rock's core.

A cough rang out from the rock's emptied core and a hand shot out. It quickly grasped itself onto the ledge of the rock. With a mighty heave, the hand lifted out a tired body.

Seele lurched forward over the edge of the stone-sled. He covered his mouth and held back his urge to become really sick. With a sigh, he lets go of his mouth and straightened himself. He took a moment to look around. To his relief, he was in the middle of a quiet forest.

"Oh…my head," he mumbled, "thank goodness I did not fall into another lion's den…or vultures' nest, right Ashlotte…Ashlotte?"

The boy turned behind him. He was suddenly startled back when a grey and white figure sprang up to him. He held back a yelp as soon as he recognized the figure's identity.

"You alright, Ashlotte?"

Ashlotte returned a nod, "Yes. Are you alright, Seele?"

"I think I'm…fine…"

Seele hid a nervous smile as he secretly held his aching back. Ashlotte turned to look around the environment.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Good question." Seele too looked around. He tried to search for any signs or clues to where he and Ashlotte might have landed. All he did know was that the ruin they left must have been hundreds of kilometres high above their heads.

As he searched, his eyes suddenly fell upon a peculiar sight. He could not help but lean over the makeshift ledge of the stone sled he sat in.

He quietly stared at a girl. She was crouched up in a shivering human ball, about three to four inches away from the sled. She wore a black kimono, had bright red hair, and a club rested by her feet. What really took Seele by surprise was a pair of strange horns that were off to one side of her skull. The poor girl seemed to be whimpering in fear.

Seele blinked, "Uh…excuse me?"

The girl's body leapt an inch off the ground as she still remained curled up. She slowly lifted her elbows up so she can peek her yellow eyes under them.

"Where are we?" asked Seele, nicely. The girl instantly sprang up to her full height with a mad glare.

"_B-BAKKA (Dummy)_!"

Seele blinked for a moment and he leaned in further forward, "Excuse me?"

"_BAKKA-BAKKA-BAKKA~_! Why did you scare the living life out of me – _desu_?-!" screamed the little girl.

"Uh…hard to explain…" uttered Seele. The girl glared even angrier. Seele felt like panicking, "Um…I'm sorry?"

The girl instantly blew her top off. She swiped up her club and raised it madly over her head. Seele was taken back by surprise and he fell back into the stone sled.

"_BAKKA _HUMAN! DISAPPEAR – _DESU~_!"

"WHOA! TIME OUT! TIME OUT! _**TIME OUT!**_" hollered Seele

With a furious cry, the girl brought her club down onto a fear stricken Seele. He shut his eyes and – somewhat – readily faced his fate.

Suddenly, a dull crack of metal on metal sounded off. Seele slowly opened his eyes. They widened even more at the astonishing sight before him.

"A-Ashlotte!"

Ashlotte had blocked the horned girl's heavy club with her own halberd. She kept her halberd steady in front of Seele as she was knelt behind him.

"I will not allow you to hurt Seele."

"Why you…" growled the girl. Ashlotte pushed away the girl's attack and caused her to falter back. The girl struggled to regain her balance as she yelped with every shaky step. Ashlotte leapt out of the stone sled, stood right in front of Seele, and skilfully twirled her halberd to readied herself.

The horned girl growled and heaved herself forward. With a stomp, she regained her balance.

"Curse you! Why can't you foreign humans ever leave me alone – _desu?-_!" she cried.

"Foreign…humans?" wondered Seele. Ashlotte returned a passive stare and held her halberd steady.

"I believe you are mistaken. I am not a human."

"_URUSAI-URUSAI-URUSAI-URUSAI~!_"

The horned girl charged again and struck her club against Ashlotte's halberd. With unknown strength and rage, she continuously hammered against Ashlotte's single guard. Despite the severe blows, the silent girl blinked them off. She did not budge an inch from her spot as the attacks tried to force her back. Finally, the horned girl leapt back.

She breathed haggardly while she glared at the expressionless Ashlotte. Her arms trembled from the shock of her own strikes. She tried to ignore the numbness in hands by biting her lower lip.

"What are you – _desu_?-! Some kind of doll, _desu_?-! Why aren't you afraid, _desu_?"

Ashlotte cocked her head to one side, "Should I be?"

The horned girl glared and instantly broke into a loud charge. Ashlotte held her stance and readied herself to take on the girl's rageful blow.

Suddenly, the bottom end of Ashlotte's halberd dropped to the ground. Seele's perked an eyebrow. The horned girl had swung down at the end of the Ashlotte's halberd, before she knew it dropped to the ground. She swiped through empty air and the force of her club swung around by accident. The girl screeched as she spun wildly. After a few embarrassing minutes, the girl blushed as she regained her footing and glared spitefully at Ashlotte. Soon, her blush went white as snow.

Ashlotte had no idea what was going on. All she did know was she could not feel her right arm move. She turned to her right shoulder and blinked. Once again, her shoulders sagged.

Seele slapped a hand to his face, "Oh…not again."

Ashlotte's right arm had fallen out of her socket. It still clung tightly against her halberd as it stiffly floated in the air. The horned girl looked like she was about to be sick.

"You're kidding me?" uttered Seele in disbelief, "Are you sure you don't know who your masters were, because I would love to have a serious talk with them about your design specs…"

"Forgive me, Seele, but I really have no knowledge of whom or where my last masters may be…" replied Ashlotte.

Seele sighed and leapt out of the sled. He approached Ashlotte and carefully pulled her right arm off her halberd. For a moment Seele heard a squeak, but thought it was a fly and waved it off.

"We really need to find a way to give you a good fixing if you are to stay together for the long-term…"

Suddenly, a sound of a dull thud was made. Seele looked around him for a moment for the source of the sound. That was when Ashlotte tugged at his sleeve. Curiously, the boy turned to the quiet girl.

"Y-yes?"

Ashlotte did not answer, but merely pointed with her left index finger. Seele turned to the direction. He gasped.

"H-Hey!"

The boy instantly hung Ashlotte's right arm across her left. He immediately bolted forward until he knelt by the horned girl's fallen body. She was unconscious and her face was extremely pale.

"Hey! Wake up! Little girl? Wake up!"

[******]

It was a nice afternoon, she remembered. The horned girl sat quietly on top of a grassy hill. She hummed a sweet oni lullaby as she watched her friends happily.

They ravaged across a farmer's lemon grass field with joyous laughter. Some young oni boys would plough right through the field as they rode on top of a frantic bull. The oni girls would grouped together to make a princess crown out of the grass. Some even weaved a long and matching gown out of them.

They stopped and all gestured the horned girl to come over. She smiled and leapt to her feet to meet them. The girls gently slip the emerald gown over her head and finally finished by placing the crown of sweet scented grass across her red hair. Though the dress and gown were extremely itchy, she thought, it was certainly beautiful.

The oni boys would then strike as they tossed their clumps of grass balls at the oni girls. Soon a grass fight was unleashed as the red-headed horned girl blissfully danced in between.

Suddenly, everything went dark. The sun no longer felt warm, but singed with the cold. The air felt moist and damp as she breathed with anxiety. Her crown and gown of lemon grass were long gone. Floating fireballs hovered around her as she turned.

The red-headed horned girl met the eyes of an angry mob. They wielded pitchforks, spades, torches, and other farming tools they mustered. They angrily surrounded her and her friends as they rage fully spat out curses and crude words. Though she felt afraid, the red-headed girl stood in front of all of her friends to protect them.

Suddenly, the mob parted to make a road for someone. That someone was an onmyodo, a spirit hunter or sealer of some sort. His very figure boasted his haughtiness as he began a rancid tongue-lashing at her and her friends. His meaningless and senseless speeches, that easily captivated the mob, made the red-headed girl's head badly spin. She had planned to give the onmyodo a good lesson of her own with her kanabo, her ancestor's traditional weapon of choice: a spiked club.

That was when a stranger appeared. The tongue of the onmyodo fell flat and the mob parted more. In stepped a tall and foreign man with no hair. He had smooth dark brown skin and wore a strange set of robes, nothing that the girl has ever seen in her country. The thing that intrigued her the most was his soft and truthful right eye and his hard and strong-willed golden left eye.

"It seems you have caused quite a commotion…" said the stranger. The red-haired girl turned away and pouted with her puffed cheeks.

"Are you here to given me a lesson too – _desu_?"

The stranger chuckled and shook his head, "On the contrary…" He leaned in closer to her ear, "I'm impressed with the fireworks display over at the field."

The girl could not help a short snicker. The stranger stood up and kindly smiled.

"Do you mind if I have a word with you?"

So, the red-headed girl, and her oni friends followed the stranger off into the woods. Of course, thought the girl, the onmyodo and the mob followed. Together, she and her friends entered the den of an old cave. She then sat together with the dark-skinned stranger, as if she had invited him for tea. Unfortunately, the oni-girl sighed, tea was not her forte – let alone having any tea powder or water at hand in this situation..

"You do realize that your actions caused significant damages to the farmers, right?" asked the stranger softly.

The girl nodded, "A bit…but it's our nature as oni to do what we do – _desu_. Besides, we were only playing the in the field," she shrugged, "because we were bored – _desu_."

The stranger raised his eyebrows, "I cannot wait to see what you children do for real…"

The red-head sighed and leaned against the cave wall.

"So…are we to be sealed in this cramped cell for the rest of our lives, just like obedient little oni girls and boys – _desu_?"

"Somewhat, yes…" nodded the stranger. A sad frown appeared across the girl's face

"Can you promise me something?" asked the stranger. The girl turned to the stranger with a curiously look, "if you change your mind and be a good girl, I guarantee you and your friends will be free soon…"

The girl perked up her head, "Really?"

The stranger nodded, "A good little boy or girl will always have a good future. If you are good, then I know you will have a good future…"

"I…have to be a good girl…to have a good future?"

The stranger nodded again, "If you succeed, a great reward will be given to you."

The horned girl beamed as she sat up. She straightened herself with every manner she had and bowed deeply.

"I promise I will become good – _desu_."

The stranger smiled and stood up. He then turned to the girl.

"I wish to let you know, that sometime soon the seal that will be placed onto you will be broken," he said. He lowered his tone but kept a bit of kindness within it, "You must not leave this cave…wait a little longer until the time is right…"

"How do I know when will the time be right to leave – _desu_?"

The stranger grinned and winked, "You'll now when it comes." Then the stranger walked towards the entrance.

"Wait!" cried the girl, "May I know your name?"

At the cave mouth, he stopped and turned to gaze at the girl with caring eyes.

"My name is Zasalamel*, hope to see you again some years from now," he grinned, "_sayonara_."

"No!" cried the girl. The stranger, Zasalamel, was taken aback with surprise. The girl continued, "It's _dewa mata_…"

"Why?"

"Because you say _sayonara_ if you think you'll never see the person again," answered the horned girl, "_dewa mata_ is said when departing from someone you know you'll meet again in the future…"

Zasalamel cracked a wide smile.

"Well then, _dewa mata_…my little friend…"

The horned girl smiled hopefully and gently waved.

"_Dewa mata._"

With that, Zasalamel turned and walked out of the cave. He did not turn back as he hid a drop of tears from his golden eye. When he left, the onmyodo let out an irritated sigh and began his incantation. The cave rumbled as the red-headed girl's friends huddled together in fear.

The girl was not afraid. She calmly smiled as a pure white drop of tear rolled down her cheeks.

"I'll be a good girl, Zasalamel…just you wait…I'll find you again, my best friend…"

The cave began to magically seal itself shut. She merely watched it closed as her friends screamed for mercy. Suddenly, a feeling stung her heart and she cried out.

"Wait! I didn't tell you my name!" Soon, the cave was sealed shut. Darkness ruled within the silent den. Slumber took over the girl's body and she went into a deep and long sleep.

She had not known how long had passed. All she did know was that it must have been some time. Like Zasalamel foretold, the cave's seal was broken and she regained control of her body. In celebration, her oni friends scrambled out of the cave den and once again tasted the sweet scent of sunshine. The red-headed girl, on the other hand, patiently waited.

Despite her friends' pleas and urges for her to come with them, the girl stayed in the cave as told. She did not want to break the promise she made with her friend long ago. Soon, all of her friends left her and into the outside world. Eventually, years have passed and most of her friends have disappeared within the unrecognizable world.

Until 600 years have fully past, since she was sealed, the girl finally felt something. The time was right.

She stood up from her seat, gently brushed off the dust from her kimono, picked up her spiked club, and strolled out of the dark cave. It was then and there when she finally realized, how that the sun's ray were as sweet as freedom.

"Just you wait, Zasalamel…" she whispered. She paused for a moment and wiped her tears away, "I'll find you…and I will prove it to you what a good little girl I am…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Zasalamel:** One of the several main fighters from _**"Soul Calibur III"**_ and _**"Soul Calibur IV"**_. His main weapon is a scythe called Kafziel.

All resources regarding about Soul Calibur are gathered from SoulCaliburWiki.

**[JAPANESE TERMS]:**

***De-su:** In Japanese language, it is referred as 'is' and is placed at the end of overall sentences. In Japanese Anime, there are female characters that emphasis this word as a particular tag-phrase. Example: Suiseiseki from _**"Rozen Maiden"**_.

***Ba-kka:** Means 'stupid' or 'idiot' in Japanese. Non-experienced Japanese speakers, please do not try this at home.


	5. Reward for Being Good

**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**  
**This is based from the famous sword-fighter game **_**"Soul Calibur IV" **_**by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }**  
[Chapter 4: Reward for Being Good]

She felt something cold and wet. That was the first thing that came to her mind, after she had experienced a shady dream. Her left hand was dipped into something cold and gentle, almost watery. She could not tell what it was through her awakening eyes. She tried to get up by rolling onto her side.

Suddenly, her entire body was enveloped with a splash.

"H-help! Blrplrplrplr…" she spluttered. She tried to claw into the air, but kept sinking into the small lake she had fallen into. She spat out water from her mouth and tried to breath.

That was when a hand grasped at the back of her kimono. It swiftly yanked her out and held her in mid-air. The hand helped by turning her to face her savior.

"Th-thank you – _desu~_…"

A girl's emotionless, and familiar, voice answered, "You are welcome."

The soaked girl raised her head with surprise. She wiped away the water from her gaze. She then stared into the yellow eyes of a pale grey face.

"YOU?-!"

Ashlotte cocked her head to one side, "Yes?"

The girl combed back her red-hair, but nearly clawed her horns off with shock.

"You're that guy's bodyguard – _desu_!"

"Then I'm guessing **I** am that guy…"

The red-headed girl turned her head, but her eye sights were out of range. As Ashlotte continued to carry the horned girl in mid-air, she helped by turning both herself and the dangling girl into the general direction. At the sight, the horned girl gasped.

"_BAKKA_?-! What are you doing here?-!"

Seele had sat across a fresh patch of earthly grass. He had his elbow on his bended knee and his chin rested on his open palm. He gave a tired look.

"And hello to you too…" he mumbled.

The horned girl instantly thrashed her arms and legs in the air to pry away from Ashlotte's grip. Despite the struggle, Ashlotte passively blinked and still held on.

"I think its best to set her down, Ashlotte…she's having another one of those temper-tantrums again…"

Instantly, Ashlotte released the girl. With an 'eep', she hit the ground with a thud. Seele flinched when he heard it.

"Uh…I meant…" He rethought his words, "Never mind…"

The girl bolted up to her feet. She swiped away her drenched hair from her eyes and immediately shook herself dry like a canine. Ashlotte simply walked around the girl and sat on her knees next to Seele. The boy merely looked at the horned girl as she glared back.

"_Bakka_! You nearly killed me with that cursed rock – _desu_! What were you thinking – _desu_?-! And why did you bring me here?" she shrieked.

Seele turned away, irritated, "For your information, miss, I had no intention in killing you with a giant rock. Consider yourself lucky that you are still standing here and shrieking at us to your heart's content. The reason why you are here is because you fainted when you saw Ashlotte's arm fall off."

The boy handed a gesture at Ashlotte. The horned girl turned with a pale gaze. To her relief, Ashlotte's right arm was fixed. She then instantly shook the thought off.

"So…would you like to repay me with a 'thank you' or in gold?" asked Seele. The girl's eyebrows cringed together with absolute anger.

"_Bakka_!_ Bakka-Bakka-Baaaaaakkaa - desu_!" she yelled. Seele rolled his eyes and stood up to his full height. He was about to talk back when he noticed something. He realized that the horned girl was no taller than a 12 year old – shorter than average at that.

"Okay, look," he said and shook off the thought, "That word is really, **really**, getting on my nerves…" The girl smirked. She turned away and cross her arms with a haughty air.

"Obviously, you foreign humans have no idea what that word even means and already you're angry – _desu_!" she laughed arrogantly.

Suddenly, Seele smiled and recomposed himself in a strangely well behaved manner.

"_Sumimasen, ojou-chan, demo…watashi wa BAKKA JYANAI_!"  
[Excuse me, little lady. But…I am NOT STUPID]

The horned girl whirled around with extreme terror. Her face went as pale as a ghost.

"_EH~?-! Nihongo wa…w-wakaru-ka_?"  
[(Eh)? You can understand Japanese?]

Seele grinned and firmly nodded his head.

"_Hai_!_ Soudesu_!"  
[Yes! That is correct!]

The girl went ghastly pale as she stumbled back in horror. Seele merely crossed his arms with a proud look.

"Not only can I understand and speak Japanese, but as well as German, Dutch, French, Russian, Chinese, and all the like!"

The girl instantly recomposed herself and straightened in uncertain defiance.

"Th-that can't be possible – _desu_! How did you learn all that – _desu_?"

Seele's pride was shattered with hesitation, "Uh…I can't tell you that…so smoothly…"

The horned girl faltered around in her steps as Seele's gift for tongues slowly sunk into her red-headed skull.

"By the way, what's your name?" asked Seele. The girl snapped out of her nightmare and hesitated for a moment.

"K…Kamikirimusi*…"

Seele gave a short and polite bow, "Greetings, I am Seele Rubilac. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Ashlotte nodded, "My name is Ashlotte. Nice to meet you, Kamikirimusi."

"Just call me Kami…my friends call me tha–" Kami choked on her words and resisted with a hand, "No! You are not my friends – _desu_!"

Seele blinked, "I'm sorry what?"

"You two are not my friends – _desu_!" cried Kami. She also glared at Ashlotte, "You two nearly killed me with that rock – _desu_!"

Seele heavily sighed, "I told you it was an accident. If you won't treat us as friends at least let me apologize with a nice meal or so?"

Kami was taken aback for a moment, "A meal…_desu_?"

Without warning, her cheeks burned deep crimson from an embarrassing sound. Her stomach's groan started to interrupt the conversation. Kami wrapped onto her stomach as she painfully felt a dull hammer pound inside it.

"I'm not hungry – _desu_," blushed Kami.

"Are you sure?" wondered Seele, "I have enough gold to have a decent enough dinner for the three of us."

Kami's stomach moaned again and she slapped it.

"I said I'm not hungry – _desu_," she muttered bitterly.

Ashlotte blinked, "I may not need food to survive, but I do know that the necessity for a healthy body is to properly suffice your appetite."

Kami's stomach howled even louder and she glared down at it.

"SHUT UP – _DESU_!"

The young oni girl instantly swiped up her spiked club. She threw it over onto her shoulders and stormed off. As she madly walked way, Seele and Ashlotte quietly gazed at her.

"Where are you going?" wondered Seele.

Kami spun on her heels with a furious glare.

"GOING TO FIND SOMETHING TO EAT – _DESU_!"

With that she angrily tore through a nearby bush. Seele and Ashlotte blinked in silence. The boy turned away and released a tired sigh.

"Man, she's a pain in the neck, that one…" muttered Seele. Ashlotte cocked her head to one side.

"You look worried. Is something troubling you?" she asked. Seele did not mention anything as he rubbed his temple. He wearily gestured a hand at the demolished bush where Kami exited. Ashlotte then nodded, "You are worried for Kami's well being?"

"Yeah…I doubt she can last a minute…" Seele paused for a second and shook his head, "no; less than half a second if she were to enter a nearby town like that…ughhhh…"

Suddenly, Seele was enlightened with a grand thought.

"Ashlotte…"

"Yes?" she replied. Seele turned to her with a mischievous grin and bright eyes. Somehow, Ashlotte felt something uncomfortable was going to happen. Seele rested on hand on his hip with a wider smile.

"Do you feel like stalking?"

[******]

An exhausted horse trudged through the town's muddy roads. It wearily dragged its blistered hooves as it shook its mane to keep itself awake. Across its aching back was a broad man in dull silver armor. He lightly whipped at the horses reins as they both continued down the road.

Both the horse and rider were followed by a large squad of armored foot soldier and several knights on horseback. They all traveled down the muddy roads as the townsfolk cautiously averted from their marching path.

As the squad strolled along by, several soldiers held a thick stack of parchment paper. One by one, they pasted large posters across every inch of walls and town space they could find. When the squad safely passed by, the people of the town instantly gathered around every poster for some juicy news.

"No way! Princess Elena is getting married to Sir Archeveld? How could she when she's got Prince Charles as her secret lover?"

"Listen to this! A riot is running amuck in the streets of Germany from that peasant revolt. The Holy Roman Empire should do something about it, it's been going about for years!"

"That ain't all, says here that the leader of our enemy land, King Luxthor, finally resigned from the throne to pass it onto his son!"

"Wait! His son dislikes the fighting between the kingoms…Then that means the war is over!"

"HOORAH!"

Suddenly a man cried out, "Wait lads! We've got an even bigger news to break!"

"Go on, what is it?"

"Says here that our King, his Majesty James Luthor the XXI (21st), wants to hunt him some monsters!" he said.

"Monsters? Here in our kingdom?"

"I'm afraid so! He's already passed out a country-wide bounty for any brave lads who can kill'em," he continued, "Oi, mates…we could make ourselves a fortune if we could catch one right here, right now!"

"What monsters?" wondered a little girl. In all the excitement, the man turned to a short girl in a strange black set of clothing. She wore a small tattered beret as she curiously stared through the crowd with yellow eyes, "Like bears or something – _desu_?"

The man bellowed with laughter, "Are you kidding? There's no way the King will be treated as a five years old, even if he's only 10!"

"Then what monsters – _desu_?"

"Oh, the normal lot: ogres, giants, dragons, and demons. You know, the usual kind!"

"So if you can catch one or kill one, you can get a reward? Can you also ask him a question – _desu_?"

"Well, if you kill a whole lot of them monsters in a single day, he might even give you his throne for a week!"

The girl quietly stared off into space as she thought it over. That was when a young lady, with a child in her arms, felt like she had enough news for the day and decided to return home. As she left, her child snatched the girl's beret off her head and played with it like a toy. Unfortunately for the girl, she did not notice it.

Neither did she see the man's horrified eyes when he saw a pair of horns protruding out of her thick red hair.

Kami spun around and buried herself in deep thought.

"So…if I can kill or catch an ogre, whatever that is…I might be able to ask if the King knows where papa is…" Kami's face brightened from the idea, "Yes! I heard Kings are always smart – _desu_! They must know everything that goes on in the world – _desu_! Then this King can tell me where papa is right now – _desu_!"

The girl turned with a smile, but it quickly faded out. She had realized that she was standing all alone before the empty town streets. She curiously scratched her head.

"Strange…where did everyone go?"

"THERE SHE IS!" screamed the man. Before Kami knew it a rope lassoed around her arms and waist.

"H-hey!" she shrieked. She struggled against the bonds as she was pulled back. She quickly spun around and saw three armored soldiers holding onto the rope that held her.

"Hey! What are you doing?-!" screeched Kami. More soldiers appeared and swarmed across the muddy streets.

"Don't let that monster get away men!" hollered the leader of the knights.

"Capture her so we can burn her at the stake!" cried a soldier.

Suddenly, Kami heard her stomach growled and she furiously stamped her feet.

"Of all the things you can say, why you had to say _steak_?"

Angrily, she leapt back with a heavy step. The guards instantly toppled over to one another and the rope fell loose from her. Irritated, the girl rubbed her waist. She was quickly surrounded by several horse riders and soldiers as they wielded swords and spears at her.

She moaned with exhaustion as she pulled out her spiked club.

"Oooooh…I can hardly move. So hungry – _desuuuu_…"

Instantly, the knights charged at her. A flash of rage glinted across Kami's eyes. With great strength she swung her sword-like club in a wind-torrenting arc. The blow threw multiple soldiers off their feet and broke spears into splintered wood. Riders were tossed off their saddle and more soldiers shivered from Kami's battle cry. She glared at them as she held her heavy club steady in the air.

"Don't underestimate me, bakka humans! And if you dare look down on me just 'cuz I'm small, that makes me even angrier!"

Again, she swung her club in the air again. Another blow sent more soldiers into buildings and a nearby water fountain. The soldiers before her cowered in fear as the girl panted.

Her vision somehow started to blur as she felt tired. Her stomach rumbled again as she resisted the painful storm inside.

Suddenly, a noose flew over her head and gripped at her neck. She gasped as she was forced to fall on her back. When she fell with a hard thud, her club was thrown out of her hand. She gripped desperately at the bind around her neck. Soon, more nooses lashed out and captured her hands and feet.

Finally, her neck, wrist, and ankles were tied tightly by several ropes. The soldiers began to pull on her bonds and she felt her very body started to split.

"Can't breath…" she gasped. A surge of fear crawled over the back of her shoulder and a tear rolled down from her eye, "Somebody…help…please…"

"_Azure_!"

The soldiers all turned to a young male voice that shattered the tension around them. Before they knew it, a shining blue crystal sword flew right past them. With precise accuracy, the sword sliced apart the rope that held her left arm. When the sword impaled into the ground, it sliced apart the rope that held Kami's neck. She breathed deeply when the bonds snapped.

"Eat this!"

A soldier, who held onto the rope that tied Kami's left ankle, turned. Right then and there, a boy ran up to him and leapt forward to stomp the soldier's face in. The soldier reared back from the sudden blow and released Kami's ankle.

"Release her."

The soldier, which held Kami's right hand, was suddenly lifted into the air. Next, he was thrown backwards by a quiet girl and bowled into a small group of knights.

Kami yanked at the rope that tied her right leg and reeled in the soldier. When he knelt before her, she crushed his face in with her small fist. As he toppled over, she madly waved her hand painfully in the air.

"_Ittai (Ow)_!" she squeaked. She quickly turned around in time to see a hand wrap around the crystal sword's handle. Her eyes widened when she met the cheerful gaze of a cyan-haired boy.

"_BAKKA_?-!"

Seele flinched at the word and blinked it off, "You know, that might be my new name from now on. Wouldn't you say so Ashlotte?"

Ashlotte landed a heavy step across the chest of a knight and he utterly fainted, "Possibly."

Seele gave a light chuckle and readied his crystal longsword, _Azure_, in his hands.

"You came for me…" breathed Kami, "why?"

Seele returned a grin from the corner of his mouth, "Fight first, talk later." He whirled around to dodge a knight's blow. He then swiftly knocked the end of his sword into the back of the soldier's neck.

Kami felt entranced as she gazed at him. Next, she turned to Ashlotte. The passive girl had blocked a sword with her bare right hand. She gripped at the blade and tossed the knight aside like a rag doll.

A warm feeling started to flutter inside her. That was when she grabbed her club and stood up to her feet. She threw off the ropes that held her and readily raised her weapon.

"HERE I GO!"

She twirled her long club around her head and charged into the fray.

Seele spun around to dodge two swords and drove them off with skilful slashes. Ashlotte calmly stopped a massive hammer cold with her bare hand and smashed her other fist into the knight's face. Kami screamed as she leapt into the air to drive her club into the ground and created a massive shockwave that tossed every soldier into the sky.

As quick as it happened, the battle ended. Soldiers quickly picked themselves up and scampered away in fear. Seele grinned at the sight as _Azure_ transformed back into his crystal needle. Ashlotte stood by Seele's side and quietly gazed at the disappearing figures. They then turned to Kami.

She sheepishly tucked her hands behind her back. Her head hung low as she nervously stared at the ground.

"Why did you save me – _desu_?" she wondered. Seele shook his head.

"What else silly? You were in trouble and we wanted to help."

"Why are you following me? I'm not your friend and neither are you two mine!"

Seele sighed as he hung his head back, "My goodness you _are_ a pain…"

"Why won't you just leave me alone – _desu_? What interest am I, a demon girl, to you?"

"We were worried for your well being," answered Ashlotte. Seele slowly stared at Ashlotte with a horrified look. Kami stood frozen and her cheeks burn madly.

"Uh…Ashlotte…" breathed Seele.

Ashlotte turned to Seele and blinked, "Yes?"

"You weren't supposed to tell her…Never mind…" Seele turned back and sighed again.

Kami could not believe what she had heard. Her breath shook as she tried to force her words out.

"You two…were worried about me – _desu_?"

Seele smiled wearily and he nodded, "You can say that."

Kami slowly and graciously bowed to Seele and Ashlotte. The boy was taken by surprise as the silent girl only stared at the sight.

"Thank you very much…_desu_…" whispered Kami. Seele could not help but grin and placed one hand on his hip.

"Ha-ha. For a feisty little one, you sure do know your manners."

"That is because she is a good girl."

Kami straightened with surprise. She slowly turned to Ashlotte. The girl simply blinked, "Yes?"

Kami hesitated from a thought and decided best to let it let it go.

Seele then held out a hand to Kami. She looked up at him and saw his cheerful grin.

"You must be hungry," he said, "let's go grab a bite to eat."

At first Kami only kept her gaze on Seele, then to his hand. Gently, she took it and she too smiled brightly. Soon, Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami started to walk away from the town. Kami could not have felt any happier. Maybe having new friends, she thought, was not so bad after all.

"Oh yeah," muttered Seele, "a heads up: I'm only limited to a certain amount of lunch money per day, so you better not eat like a horse…"

Kami's pleasant mood was shattered. She yanked her hand away from Seele's and rushed right past him. Angrily, she spun around in front of him and glared.

"_BAKKA_!" she shrieked. Seele's smile faded and his shoulders sagged.

"Looks like we have a new ally," said Ashlotte.

Seele chuckled and turned to Ashlotte's passive complexion, "An ally that I have to baby-sit twenty-four-seven…just perfect…"

To top it off, Kami made a nasty face at the boy with a stick of her tongue.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Kamikirimusi:** A bonus character from **"Soul Calibur IV"**. She is specially designed by guest artist Hirokazu Hisayuki. Her weapon is a kanabo (spiked club) called Denryu Bakuha. Her fighting style is based off of Nightmare's style.

All resources gathered from _SoulcaliburWiki_.


	6. Understanding the Heart

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**_  
_**This is based from the famous sword-fighter game **_**"Soul Calibur IV" **_**by **_**NAMCO **_**and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }**  
[Chapter 5: Understanding the Heart]

"You're looking for your father?" Seele wondered out loud. Kami had her head lowered, a little bashful, as she nodded. Ashlotte passively stared at Kami as Seele's conversation continued with their new – oni – friend, Kamikirimusi.

He and the two girls sat at a long table within the dining hall of an old inn. Strangely enough, it was empty besides the bartender and a rather noisy woman with blonde hair and a blue battle dress. She heavily drank a bottle of barley beer.

"That's right – _desu_. It's been a long time since I was separated from him. I forgot what happened during then, but I really wish to look for him again – _desu_…"

Seele sighed, "So your big plan of action was to capture a monster, present it to the king, and – if I guess this correctly – ask him where your father may be?" He could not help raise an eyebrow, "Wow, that **is** one fool-proof idea. One flaw: have you checked yourself in the mirror lately?"

With that, a splash of milk slapped his face. Seele did not say anything. He calmly blinked off the milk and wiped it away from his face with a hand. Kami kept her gaze levelled at the table as she set the cup of empty milk down in front of her.

"I really wish to find him! I thought that monster-hunting idea was a good idea! I just never knew people would take me for a monster – _desu_…I'm an oni – _desu_!" retorted Kami.

Seele wiped the last drop of milk from his brow, "There's no difference in the translation between Japanese and English, Kami."

Kami shot an angry glare at Seele and puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

"You should not tease people younger than you, Seele, it is not nice," spoke Ashlotte. Seele turned to her with a curious look.

"Nice? She nearly blocked my head off with a club; she keeps calling me stupid…"

"_Bakka_!" interjected Kami.

"…and she practically hates us…and you want me to be nice…You know, I think−"

"INNKEEPER! ANOTHER FIVE BOTTLES!" yelled the blonde-haired woman.

Seele flinched as the loud woman cut off his, somewhat, tranquil thoughts. He turned to gaze at her back from over his shoulder, as she sat several tables away in a dark corner. He then turned back to his broken sentence.

"Anyways, if you really want to find you father, we might as well drop the monster-hunting-idea of yours. Even if you succeed in capturing an ogre or whatever, the king may not know where your father is," said Seele, "besides, guys like them aren't God."

Kami was surprised, "They're not?"

Seele's eyebrow pinched themselves together for a second, "No, they're−"

Suddenly, the woman behind Seele started to wildly cry like a heart-broken lover.

"Onee-san (Big Sister)! Why did I leave you back there?-! Why can't I be strong enough to save you? ONEE-SAN!" she shrieked in gurgled tears. Or, a heart-broken little sister. The woman fell across her table, bottles tumbled loudly everywhere. For every one that fell onto the ground made Seele flinch with annoyance.

"I hate being interrupted," he growled lowly.

Ashlotte turned to Seele with a passive expression, "Should we help her?"

"Nah…people like her needs time alone to think over their mistakes, or wrong-deeds. Hu − People – tend to drown themselves to sleep in order to nullify their sorrows or something," muttered Seele while he playing with his mug. The woman behind her stopped crying for a second and perked her head up, "Besides it is none of our business, unless she makes it our business…which is quite rare in most scenarios."

"I don't know – _desu_," uttered Kami, "she looks pretty upset over her Onee-san – _desu_…"

Seele sighed, "It can't be helped. I doubt she wants us to break her overall mood. Now where was I…right. Kami, I can help you find your father. What's his name first?"

"…I don't know – _desu_."

Seele nearly fell off of his seat, "Okay, looks like we have to start from scratch. How do you describe him?"

"Mmm…tall, long white hair, wears golden armor…I think…"

"…What?"

"A man with golden armor?" asked Ashlotte. Seele turned to her with curiosity.

"Ring any bells?" he asked. Ashlotte took a long moment to think.

"No," she finally shook head. Seele dropped his head from his shoulders, accidentally bumping his forehead to the table on his fall.

"OW!" he muttered.

"…I do remember the first time I met him was five years ago…I think he used to wield a pair of white crystal and red ruby sword of some kind – _desu_," answered Kami.

Seeles eyes widen for a moment and his head levelled above shoulder height, "Sorry, what?"

"ONEE-SAN!"

Seele's shoulders flinched. They shook with bottled-fury of irritation. Finally, Seele bolted up from his seat and whirled on the spot.

"Excuse me, miss! I really hate to be rude, but could you please keep – it – down! Thank you!"

The woman fell silent for a moment, but did not turn. Seele dropped back into his seat, picked up his mug, and chewed its rim in utter frustration.

"…Do you think that was a wise decision?" asked Ashlotte. Seele kept his head straight as he glimpsed at Ashlotte from the corner of his eyes.

"I did say **please**…" he grumbled from behind his mug.

"Hey…" called the woman's voice, soft and almost sorry-like. Seele felt guilt touch his heart. He dropped his mug from his face, slowly turned, and took in a deep breath.

"Look, I didn't mean to−"

A wine bottle streaked across the air at a screaming pace and smashed dead-center into Seele's face. From the blow, Seele fell off his seat and fell straight to the ground. Kami's face went extremely pale as she squeaked. Ashlotte blinked and stared down at Seele without any expression.

Seele's hand rose out from under the table and gripped its surface. As if rising out from under the ocean, Seele's head appeared from below and gasped for air. Before he had a chance to stand up, a pair of tough, yet elegant, white gloved hands gripped him by the collar and lifted him up off his feet. Seele shook his head awake and stared down at the loud woman who had previously sat at the corner of the inn.

She had dismal long blond-hair that was tied by a decorative blue and black ribbon, crystal blue eyes, wore an Athenian-style blue and black battle-dress, long white heeled boots that went up to her thighs, and a pair of lengthy white gloves that reached all the way passed her elbows. Her face was blushing red from heavy indulgence of alcohol as she glared unsteadily at Seele. Despite holding him perfectly in the air, the woman hardly kept her feet steady as she stumbled.

"Jerk! You have absolutely no idea how much pain I am going through!" she snarled.

"Hey, look! I said I was−" retorted Seele. Suddenly, he was lowered to his feet and the woman released one hand from him, "Thank you." The hand returned to punch Seele in the face, "OW!"

He tumbled over a chair and crumbled an entire table under his fall. The woman wobbled her way over to Seele as she hiccupped a couple of times. Kami was frantic as she hid behind a passive Ashlotte.

"Do something – _desu_! Aren't you that _bakka's_ bodyguard?" she shrieked.

Ashlotte's tone was calm and steady, "Yes…but I feel that he deserves it."

Kami stared at the humanoid mechanical doll in wide-eyed horror, "WHAT?"

Seele surfaced from a pile of wood and struggled to his feet, "Aoooh…my back!" Instantly, the woman pulled him up to his feet. She angrily threw punches straight into his face and body; as if to vent all of the world's frustration out on him.

"Jerk! Jerk! JERK! How can you tell if I am really suffering − *HIC* − or not! − *HIC* − Ah! I am useless!" The woman relentlessly threw punches at Seele without mercy, "I can't do anything right! I broke my family's sacred sword! I can't defeat anything on my own! I can't even save Onee-san from those monsters!" She let out a blood-curdling scream, "ONEE-SAN! Why did you force me to leave you behind?-! Why?-! Why?-! WHY?"

Her last punch was caught by another hand. The woman froze with surprise and looked dead in the eyes of Seele. Despite being punched multiple times, he still stood without any sort of bruises on his face. He heavily panted as he lightly twisted his neck, glaring right back at the drunk and furious woman.

"WAKE-UP!" The woman gasped with shock. Even Kami slapped her hands to her mouth with fear. Ashlotte blinked as she continued to watch in silence, "What good are you if you always complain?-! What use are you if you merely drown your pain and sorrow in the past?-! What possibility can you be if you remain like this for the rest of your life?-! NOTHING!"

The woman stared at Seele in wide-eye bewilderment. His eyes twinkled with a strange spark of anger and wisdom as he leaned closer to the woman. His voice lowered to a whisper.

"Isn't your sister more important than whining about your mistakes? Isn't it saving her your top priority? Or do you plan to let her die for whatever selfish reason you have in that rotten mind of yours? Is that what you wish? Hm?"

Kami could not believe her eyes. Despite annoying or shouting at Seele, she had never seen him this angry before. Ashlotte slowly stood up to her full height and gently walked forward.

"What is it that you want?" asked Seele, his eyes gazed deeply into the woman's, "do you want to save your sister, or let her rot with the monsters…your choice."

The woman was dumbstruck with silence. She barely could utter her answer, "Save…Onee-san…"

Seele tossed the woman's fist aside and stood up straight, "Then let me help you."

"EH?-!" blinked Kami.

Seele took one step closer to the woman. She did not retaliate as she blankly stared into his deep blue eyes, "Let me help you…It's better than wasting your time in drinking wine, right?"

A gentle greyish-skinned hand rested on the woman's shoulder. She turned to Ashlotte, who stared at her with her pale yellow eyes.

"Let us help you recover your older sister," she said. The woman was speechless. She turned to Seele, to Ashlotte, then the boy. A single tear-drop fell from her left eye.

"Thank − *HIC*…you…" Suddenly, she collapsed forward onto Seele.

"Wha−? Hey!"

The both fell onto the ground with a thud. Kami and Ashlotte both appeared right next to Seele and looked down at him. Lying heavily across Seele was the woman, already fast asleep.

"Gah…" gasped Seele, "can someone…get her off me?"

The woman continued to sleep as she lightly snored. Another tear dropped across her nose and a hand gentle wiped it away. Seele gave a faint smile, before plopping his head back in exhaustion.

[******]

A pair of clear blue eyes opened wide-awake with a gasp. They looked around. It was early morning and she could only see the roof.

The woman bolted sitting up across a bed. The covers fell off of her chest to reveal that she somehow had a change of plain white clothes. She noticed the change and her face blushed.

Seele sat at the corner of her bed, his back against the room wall. His head was hung low, deep in sleep. Suddenly, he snorted awake and sat up straight, looking around until his eyes met with the woman's angry glare. He innocently smiled.

"Good morn−"

"JERK!"

"…What? − _***SMACK***_ − OW!" Seele doubled over as he cupped his left eye. The woman flung her hand painfully as she glared at him.

"WHY DID YOU CHANGE MY CLOTHES?-!"

"I didn't − _***SMACK***_ − GAAAH!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE WITH ME?-! WHAT **DID** YOU DO TO ME?-!"

"ASK THEM! − _***SMACK***_ − AAAAH! I GIVE UP!"

The woman stopped her assault and noticed him pointing in front of him, to her left. As Seele sat curled at the edge of her bed, she turned to meet a pair of different kinds of eyes.

One pair of eyes were passive, belonging to a girl with ash-grey hair and skin, a metallic dress with a wire-framed bell-skirt, and a smoke-grey bonnet. The other were wide with terror, that belonged to a smaller girl with fire-red hair, strange yellow horns, and a strangely torn black kimono with fire decal across its edges. The red-headed girl tightly hugged a pillow in fear, which was squeezed whenever the woman laid her fist against Seele.

The woman blushed and went silent for a long moment. Finally, she gave a short shriek of embarrassment, dove into her bed, and threw the covers over her head.

Seele rubbed his face as he sighed, "Now do you belie − TOH!" He instantly curled over to one side in twisted pain. A feminine foot had poked out of the covers and stomped him in the right side of his ribs. He bounced off from the hit and crashed to the floor.

"W-WAIT! It's not his fault – _desu_! We…well, _I _was the one who changed your clothes and Ashlotte-san was the one who balanced you while you were asleep – _desu_…" squeaked Kami.

The woman under the covers started to wail like a frightened child, "WEHEHEH! NOW I CAN'T BE A BRIDE! WEHEHEH!"

"Great," grumbled Seele as he sat up, "here comes the water works aga−" A pillow was thrown into his face and he took that as a sign to shut-up. Kami grabbed another pillow nearby and hugged it like the previous one.

"N-no! Don't be mistaken! That bakka was outside in the halls the entire time – _desu_!" she added.

"It is true," nodded Ashlotte. The woman stopped crying. She poked her head out of a small hole from under the covers.

"Really?" she whimpered.

"What is the matter?" asked Seele. The woman, Ashlotte, and Kami turned to Seele. He stood up to his full height and brushed off the dust from his long coat, "I'm here to help you, so stop seeing me as if I am an enemy. I bear no grudge against you and I completely understand your…frustrations." The woman blinked while she still hid under the covers, "First off all, what's your name?"

The woman hesitated at first. Finally, she flipped back the covers and sat up, exposing herself to everyone in the room, her long blonde hair free and loose. She took in a deep breath as she kept a neutral stare on Seele.

"My name is…Cassandra…Cassandra Alexandra*," she answered, "I…have an older sister named Sophitia…"

"So you mentioned last night, about your sister," replied Seele, "by the way. My name is Seele Rubilac and they're Ashlotte and Kami."

"Please," said Ashlotte, "tell us what happened to your sister."

Cassandra lowered her gaze to her lap. Her hands nervously gripped across her thighs. Tears started to well up.

"She…she was taken by ogres!" Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami perked their head up in surprise, "We were traveling through this country, on our way home from a bakery delivery. On the way, we heard news of a town being harassed by ogres, who kidnapped the ladies of their hometown. My sister and I wanted to help, we are both well trained swordswomen, and planned to assault their den with several other fighting volunteers." Cassandra wiped away tears from her eyes, "The raid failed as the ogres ambushed us on the way. The volunteers fled before they even fought, leaving me and my sister to fend for ourselves."

Cassandra struggled to fight back tears. Seele simply watched her in silence before speaking, "And then what happened?"

Cassandra sniffed back her tears, focusing to control the emotion in her voice, "I was injured − *SNIFF* − and I was barely able to fight…Sophitia-neesan told me to run. I refused − *SNIFF* − but she forced me to run away…In the end…Onee-san…was been taken away…"

Finally, Cassandra broke down into loud tears and brought the covers to her face. Ashlotte stood up from her seat and strode over to Cassandra. She sat down right next to her on the bed and placed a comforting hand on her back. Cassandra could not help but lean over to cry on Ashlotte's shoulder, her arms wrapped around the silent girl for support.

Seele watched in silence, his face passive and in deep thought.

"Sophitia, eh?" he breathed. He raised his gaze to look at the crying Cassandra.

"Onee-san…I…I…" she wailed.

"So where's this ogre den you mentioned?"

Cassandra perked her head up with shock. She turned to Seele, who returned a waiting glance, "Are…are you serious?"

Kami leapt an inch off her bed in sudden realization, "Are you serious?-! Fighting monsters – _desu_?"

Seele nodded as he gazed at Cassandra, "As serious as you are."

Cassandra could not believe the words that came out of his mouth. She had seen her fair share of rotten and lying conmen, hoping to find some sort of advantage through their false words. But somehow…she thought. The words from this jerk, felt reassuringly true. It was as if a single rain drop that fell in a calm pool, was the very essence of his words.

She fought back the urge to smile, but let it happened anyway. She stared at Seele with glassy eyes, hopeful ones, "Th…thank you…"

Seele simply grinned, "No problem."

[******]

"It's huuuuge…" uttered Kami, wide eye with amazement.

Seele, Ashlotte, Kami, and Cassandra all stood before a giant mountain that gapped a cave into the sides. Cassandra stood in the lead, wearing her Athenian battle dress and had a small steel shield held by her left hand. Her hair was tied back in her blonde ponytail as she quietly stared at the cave in silent loathing.

Seele whistled with passive amazement, "And I thought I've seen bigger caves…"

"It is only several inches smaller than the one I slept in," added Ashlotte. Seele turned to her with a curious look.

"Wow, you got good eyes…"

"Is this…" gulped Kami, "the monsters' den?"

Cassandra nodded, "This is where the ogres live, storing their stolen goods and keeping their prisoners in…It has depths of great evil…"

Seele suddenly sneezed, "ACHOO! Geez, I can already smell it…"

"Eh? You can smell evil?" asked Kami. Seele realized what he mentioned and calmly straighten his back.

"N-no, I mean I can smell rotten carcasses coming from inside alright…gross…" he uttered; the last word of his sentence trailed off in a flat tone. Kami returned a nod. Seele let out a slow breath and turned his gaze at the cave, "Okay, we're going in."

"WHAT?-!" shrieked Cassandra. Horrified, she turned on Seele just as he walked passed her, "Are you crazy? The ogres outnumber us three to one and their overall attack force is that of a small army of 500 men! Are you trying something stupid by being a hero?-!"

"Course not!" snapped Seele, without turning. Cassandra was taken aback, so was Kami. Ashlotte passively stared at the back of Seele as he continued, "I'm not like the people you've seen in your life! I've literally faced all kinds of things! I am not afraid to fight for something I believe in! And I believe that your sister needs rescuing!"

Cassandra practically stumbled back from Seele's words. Is this jerk normal? she thought to herself. He turned to face her and cracked a grin that surprised Cassandra even more.

"Besides, I fought a pack of bloodthirsty lions and came out with only minor scratches, it's no biggy. If there's something that's two times larger than you, feel free to throw me at it."

Cassandra blinked, "What?"

Without another word, Seele turned straight at the cave, levelled his gaze, and casually strode into it, "Let's go."

Cassandra fell silent as she started to watch Seele's image fading into darkness.

"_B-BAAAAAA~KKA_!"

A blur rushed by Cassandra, kicked up a gust of wind that flung her hair forward. To her surprise it was Kami, frantically chasing after Seele.

"_BAKKA_! DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND – _DESU~_!" she shrieked.

Then a pair of gentle footsteps calmly walked passed Cassandra as well. Cassandra turned to a striding Ashlotte. The silent girl stopped in front of the cave and turned to Cassandra with passive eyes.

"Do you not want to find your sister?" she asked.

Cassandra was taken aback for a moment. Soon, her left hand gripped itself into a tight fist. She fought back the urge to cry as she boldly followed Ashlotte into the dark depths.

"Of course, I do…Onee-san..."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Cassandra Alexandra:** One of the several main characters and fighters of the Soul Calibur series. Her fighting style is equal to her sister, Sophitia Alexandra, but focuses more in terms of relentless offensive attacks and disregards defence. Her weapon is a sword and shield, or also known as a Xiphos and Aspis, called Omega Sword and Nemea Shield.

**[JAPANESE TERMS]:**

**O-ne-e-sa-n:** Means older sister. It can be used in such format as: 'Grace-neesan', 'Oneesan', 'Neesan', and as well as any one with a different honorific suffix: 'Emily-Oneesama', 'Nee-chan', and so on. In general, 'Oneesan' is the proper word to address an older sister.


	7. Beyond the Bounds

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**__  
__**This is based from the famous sword-fighting game **_**"Soul Calibur IV"**_** by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }**  
[Chapter 6: Beyond the Bounds]

Seele's footsteps crunched across the floor of shattered rock and pebbles, sending eerie noises down the deep dark cave. He stopped for a moment when he came into a small chamber clearing. He held up his crystal needle that acted as a torch, which illuminated the darkness with bright blue luminescent light.

Seele let out a breath that echoed faintly into the air, and levelled his gaze, "You can stop squeezing my arm so tight, Kami, the coast is clear."

"Shut up! _Bakka_!" shrieked Kami. She violently shivered with fear, her arms wrapped tightly around Seele's. Her teeth chattered loud enough to cover over the faint breathing sounds of nearby bats, "I just don't like dark caves, since I was stuck in one for 600 years!"

Seele raised an eyebrow, "Wow, then that makes you over 600 years−" A tiny foot stomped on his foot, hard. He fought back the urge to scream, in case of alarming hidden ogres nearby, and merely swallowed down the pain, "Never mind…" Kami continued to shiver with fear as she followed Seele's footsteps.

Behind them were Cassandra and Ashlotte. The Athenian carefully looked this way and that, trying to spot any abnormal figures in the cave. To her surprise, Seele's crystal's light was strong enough to look like they were walking under broad day light.

"That crystal of yours is amazing. Where did you get it?" she asked.

"It's a part of me," replied Seele, without thinking.

Cassandra perked her head up, "What was that?"

"…I meant," sighed Seele, in exhaustion, "It has been with me for an extremely long time so it's kind of a part of myself. This is a shard I found some time ago…it belongs to Soul Calibur."

Cassandra stumbled on her foot and fell loudly onto the ground. As quick as she fell, she bolted straight back to her feet, "WHAT?-! HOW DID YOU−"

"Uuuh, Cassandra-san…" asked Kami.

Cassandra's trail of thought snapped into two. It instantly faded away into the back of her head and she completely forgot why she was shouting. She turned to the young oni girl, Kami, who curiously turned to her while hugging Seele's arm.

"What's an ogre anyways – _desu_?" she asked.

"An…ogre?" thought Cassandra, "W-well…their huge, **ugly**, extremely stupid, but unbelievably violent…They can easily tear apart even the most strongest of warriors if they aren't careful."

"Ah," nodded Kami, sticking close to Seele's arm, "well…they don't sound so scary…besides I don't think any one of them is here – _desu_."

"No!" interjected Cassandra, her voice a little heated, "I know they're here, I can smell them."

"AH−" Seele quickly clasped his mouth shut with his hand. He took the full brunt of his silent sneeze within his nasal cavity, "Gah…you don't say…"

"Are you allergic to evil, Seele?" asked Ashlotte.

"Like I said," started Seele. He came to a stop, which made Kami nearly trip over her feet, and looked around, "It's the rotten carcass smell that's bugging me.

Ashlotte stayed quiet for a short minute. Finally she returned a nod, "Understood."

"Alright everyone, I have a **brilliant** plan," spoke Seele in a low whisper. Cassandra and Ashlotte stopped in their tracks behind Seele. Kami perked her head up to him. Slowly, his eyes glanced left to right. That was when it happened.

"HEY-HEY-HEY! RISE AND SHINE!" he hollered. Cassandra blanched as she took the deafening cry to her ears. She flinched painfully as Seele's voice shook the cave walls. Kami cupped her ears in fright as Seele continued with a smirk, "COME ON OUT! NO USE HIDING IF I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! COME ON!"

A pale hand flew from behind Seele and slapped his mouth shut. He remained calm as a body pressed against his back, its arms locking him in an angry lock.

"THIS IS YOUR **BRILLIANT** PLAN?-! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?-!" Cassandra hissed under her breath. Ashlotte perked her head up. Though Cassandra's hands held onto Seele's mouth, she felt a smile grew under her hold.

"Dhahtt shood doo id," muffled Seele under Cassandra's hand.

"WHAT SHOULD DO IT?" she lowly hissed again.

Suddenly a deep growl was heard. Silence fell over Seele, Cassandra, Ashlotte, and Kami. Further deep within the caves, a pair of red eyes glinted in the darkness. Soon, several more pairs of eyes sparked to life.

Seele gently pulled away Cassandra's petrified hand, "And here they come…"

Without warning, several large figures leapt forward in simultaneous assault. Seele and the others took one step back and readied themselves.

"Let's take'em head-on!" Seele cried out, "_Azure_!" Seele crushed the crystal needle in his hand and it instantly transformed into his triangular bladed crystal longsword. He lanced forward and struck its blade deep within a figure's heart. Blood sprayed from behind the figure's back and painted itself across more figures behind it. Seele drew out his blade from the figure and it collapsed dead onto the floor, with the light of Azure revealing them. It was a monstrous giant, with beady red eyes, drool pouring out of its mouth, and held onto a large and deadly stone club in its hand.

"Eh? What's that – _desu_?" blinked Kami.

Cassandra, Ashlotte, and Seele cried out in unison, "Ogres!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEE~EEEEEEEEH?-!"

The figures stepped out to reveal themselves as more ogres. They swung forward with their heavy arms and deadly spiked clubs.

Cassandra drew out her Xiphos, a well-crafted Greek sword, and lashed out with a furious cry, "GIVE ME BACK ONEE-SAN!" Without giving the ogre a chance, her blade had slashed across its chest and finally struck its throat. The ogre fell dead as Cassandra glared to another one at her right. She leapt back just as she dodged a deadly spiked club.

"Krnielk," said Ashlotte passively. She drew out her long and heavy halberd and struck it forward. It collided into an ogre's chest and crushed its ribcages altogether. With a wheeze, the ogre rolled over with a dead stare of surprise.

"Wah! Wah! Wah!" yelped Kami. She rapidly back-stepped away from a pair of ogres as they attacked her from every angle. Soon they cornered her with mindless grins. Kami shook with fear for a second, but suddenly narrowed her eyes with furious rage. She drew forth her iron spiked club, "DENRYU BAKUHA!" With a mighty swing, she smashed the side of her weapon into the left ogre's right rib-cage. A deafening crack howled out and the ogre was sent flying into the other one. They both flew like giants dolls and were smashed to death against the cave walls.

Seele leapt back and sliced apart an attacking club in clean halves, "Ashlotte with me! Kami and Cassandra, split up! Me and Ashlotte will distract them; you two find Sophitia!"

"WHAT?-!" shrieked Cassandra, "I can't leave you here!"

Ashlotte and Seele went back to back; she smashed aside a large ogre to the ground while he speared his sword into another, "We're good, we can handle this. You make sure finding Sophitia is your top priority!"

"B-but _BAKKA_! You'll be killed!" hollered Kami. She squeaked with surprise, just as she ducked to avoid a swinging club.

Seele took a moment to throw Kami a reassuring grin, "Don't worry, I got this. Now go!"

"BEHIND YOU!" shrieked Cassandra and Kami. Seele took their word for it and turned. An ogre appeared in front of Ashlotte and himself and swiped a large club down at them.

"ASHLOTTE!" cried Seele. He immediately shoved Ashlotte aside. Instantly he disappeared as the club smashed right on top of him.

"…SEELE!" shrieked Cassandra.

"_BAKKA_!" cried Kami.

Ashlotte's eyes, for the first time ever, were wide with possible terror. She watched as the ogre lifted the club off the ground. There was a broken hole in the cave floor, but no sign of Seele. The ogre croaked a chuckle as it straightened.

Suddenly, Ashlotte's eyes narrowed and flashed deep fury at the ogre. With devastating strength, Ashlotte's halberd hammered straight into the ogre's skull. The monstrous being collapsed on its back, dead still. A dark and feminine figure stood over it, her yellow eyes glinted with lifeless anger and hatred.

Cassandra froze with shock, "By the gods."

"A…Ashlotte-san?" uttered Kami with surprise.

Ashlotte glared forward at a new horde of blood-thirsty ogres that wished to avenge their brethren.

"I swear…" whispered Ashlotte, "I will not let any one of you to live." With that, she lunged forward into the fray.

[******]

Deeper down within subterranean levels, a faint ray of light shone through the darkness. The pillar of fading light hovered over a shadowy spot of a new chamber grounds. Rubble started to move as bones loudly cracked.

"GAHAH!"

A body rose from the broken ashes. Its figure emerged from the ground, almost a haunting sight. Another set of bones cracked and the figure gave out a deafening howl.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Finally, Seele Rubilac fell to his hands and knees, gasping for life.

"Ah…" he breathed. Slowly, he went on his knees. He tightly held onto his body with both arms. He lurched backwards and his back nearly snapped in two. He held back a cry as he hunched forward, "Geh…six more to go…I need to be less reckless with my life…"

Seele suddenly stretched out his arms. He curled his hands into a fist and slowly twisted his arms. He folded them across his chest and stretched his back. Tiny bones in his body flexed and cracked, as if he was realigning everything inside of him after the ogre's attack. Finally, he stretched out as if he had just awakened from a nap.

"Ouch…" he muttered. He sighed and lowered his head. Suddenly, he noticed something in the pile of dirt before him. Something was exposed from the earth, something crystal-like. His eyes widen with realization and he cleared the dirt away, "I-it…it can't be!"

Soon, he curled his fingers around to what looks like a small blue crystal shard. It lightly glowed under his touch.

"HA-HA!" cried Seele, "Another shard! ALRIGHT!" He started to pull it closer towards him, but somehow the crystal was caught by an invisible wire, "What the?" Seele pulled a little harder. It still will not budge. He finally realized it was tied by a thick string of some sort. He pulled a little harder.

"Ow…"

A lump leapt into Seele's throat at the sound of the voice. He suddenly felt something squirm under his seat. He rapidly cleared more dirt away from before him. As he cleared the dirt, white fabric started to become exposed to the air. Soon, he could clearly see a human figure.

That was when a feminine arm lifted itself out of the dirt, surprising Seele altogether. It curled around and wiped dirt and dust off of its face. Seele was taken aback.

It was young woman with long blonde hair, wore a white Athenian dress, and had a laurel wreath around her head. She stared up at Seele as he gazed back down at her in utmost curiosity. He had realized that he was accidentally sitting on top of her, which half of her body was buried under the dirt. Probably from his fall, he supposed.

"Uh, excuse me? Who are you?" he asked, naively. The woman gave a gentle smile.

_***SMACK***_

"GAH! NOT AGAIN!" Seele was thrown off from a sudden blow to his face. He crumbled across the ground, away from the woman. She slowly picked herself up, calmly brushed away the dirt from her clothes, and stood up to full height. She lightly rubbed her right fist as she approached Seele with motherly, yet interrogative, eyes.

"Looks like you had some drop…somehow you were lucky that I broke your fall…" she said somewhat coldly, despite her smile.

Seele sat up and lowered his right hand from his right eye, un-bruised, "Not exactly I…" Realization crawled up his spine, "Sophitia?"

The woman, named Sophitia Alexandra*, was suddenly surprised, "How do you know my name?"

Seele did not answer at first. His eyes quickly danced from his right to the ground, "Punching people without giving them a chance. You and your sister are totally alike."

"My sister?" she wondered with bewilderment, "Cassandra?"

Seele stood up to his full height and brushed the dust off his clothing. For a second, he stole a glance at the crystal necklace that hung across Sophitia's collar bone. He blinked and directed his eyes to level with hers.

"I'm somewhat a friend of Cassandra Alexandra. And on behalf of your sister, I'm here to get you out of this place."

"I can't believe my baby sister came back to save me. She must've have been worried," said Sophitia. She walked down a narrow cave path, which there was no possibility that ogres could fit through, as she was followed closely by Seele. He carefully traced after her steady steps, while lighting the way with _Azure's_ light.

"How long have you been trapped here?" he asked.

"If I had a chance to trace the sunlight, I'd say three days and two nights," answered Sophitia.

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you…"

"Don't mention it…So you mentioned there were prisoners?"

"Yes. Ever since the last raid, I fought my way past several of the ogres to reach their deeper parts of the den. I found the prisoners the townspeople have mentioned and have brought them all here, a small chamber to prevent any ogres from following. My problem was to get them out by myself, safely…which proved to be a problem." She took in a deep breath and sighed, "We have to leave here as soon as possible…this place is filled with evil…"

"Like I said, don't mention it…" said Seele, "ACHOO!"

"Bless you again," said Sophitia.

"Lady Sophitia? Is that you?"

Seele came to a halt at the sound of voices that faintly echoed before him. Soon, around a bend of a small path, a young lady exposed her head out. Her eyes widen with relief and she stepped out to approach Sophitia, "Lady Sophitia, it really is you!"

"Of course, Marla. Where are the others?" replied Sophitia. Soon several more young women appeared before Sophitia and Seele. They all look frail and exhausted, as if they were trapped here for days on end. They started to interject one another, anxiously asking Sophitia questions.

"Can we leave now?"

"Is the pathway clear?"

"Are the ogres still after us?"

"What should we do if we can't get out?"

Sophitia was overwhelmed as they continued to press hard questions against her.

"Ladies, may I have your attention, please!"

All the women and Sophitia turned in confusion. Seele smirked as he rested his crystal sword across his right shoulder.

"The name's Seele Rubilac and I know a perfect way to get out of this prison of yours."

"How?" demanded a woman, "the only way to escape is going up and against the ogres!" A wave of anxiety started over the women.

Seele lowered his blade in front of him. It started to hum a bright blue glow within its heart. Sophitia and the others were taken aback. Seele grinned.

"My thoughts, exactly…"

[******]

"Ashlotte-san!" shrieked Kami. Ashlotte swiped her halberd up and drove an ogre straight through the ceiling. More ogres charged forward and she held them all back with her halberd.

"Pitiful creatures…" whispered Ashlotte, "you will all pay dearly for Seele's death."

Cassandra whirled around and avoided an attack by a nearby ogre. She hopped to one side and thrust her sword into its heart, "Don't overdo it, Ashlotte! Or you'll get yourself killed!"

"Please, Ashlotte-san, listen to her!" cried Kami. She smashed her club across the skull of an ogre and it collapsed, unconscious.

Ashlotte did not yield. She shoved back an entire line-up of ogres and they all toppled backwards.

"It does not matter any more…" she whispered under her breath. The ogres regained their formations and all leapt up and over to Ashlotte. She passively stared at them dead-on as she readied her halberd, "I am nothing without Seele."

"ASHLOTTE!" cried Cassandra and Kami.

A pillar of light shot out of the ground, right before Ashlotte. Its rays melted several flying ogres into dust. It suddenly turned itself and the rest of the monstrous creatures into frosty ice.

Cassandra and Kami were shocked out of their wits. Ashlotte stared emotionlessly at the pillar of ice. Yet there was a flicker of living hope in her eyes.

The pillar suddenly melted open to form a solid doorway, revealing its interior to be perfectly carved out hallow. There was a small stairway that led up from the very bottom, of wherever the pillar came from, and voices started to be heard.

Suddenly at the doorway, several young women lightly stepped out of the frozen staircase. Cassandra and Kami were surprised as they watched the women step to one side and waited for someone. That someone appeared at the opening, with long blonde hair, a white Athenian dress, and an expression of relief on her face.

Cassandra was stunned, "O…Onee-san?"

The woman with blonde hair heard Cassandra's voice and turned in stunned silence, "Cassandra?" Cassandra nodded, tears started to flood her eyes, "WAAH!"

Before Cassandra knew it, her older sister had thrown her arms tightly around her. Sophitia Alexandra hugged and snuggled her baby sister in her arms like a cute teddy bear.

"Uwah! My baby sister did come to rescue me! That is so cute!" she shrieked and giggled.

Cassandra blushed, "O-Onee-san! I'm not a baby any more! I'm a full grown adult!"

Sophitia pulled away from her embrace. She grinned and playfully stuck her tongue out, while tapping Cassandra's nose tip, "It may be so, but to me, you'll always be my little baby sister Cassie-chan!"

"C-Cassandra!" retorted Sophitia's little sister.

Kami could not help but let out a sigh of relief. That was when she heard something and looked up at the ice pillar. Ashlotte too turned her attention at the pillar's doorway. She gasped.

Standing at the opening, was a tall boy with dark-cyan hair and deep blue eyes. He gave Ashlotte a sheepish grin as he approached her.

"Hey," waved Seele, "sorry that…I made you worried…" He lowered his gaze shyly.

"_B-BAKKA?-!_" smiled Kami. She wiped away flowing tears from her eyes.

Ashlotte did not answer as she stared at Seele passively. She took one step closer to him, her eyes never leaving his. Finally, Ashlotte embraced Seele, surprising him altogether.

He gently cracked a smile of relief as he let Ashlotte hug him, "I'm back."

Ashlotte rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, "Welcome back."

[******]

A crystal blade and a heavy halberd slashed themselves across the cave entrance. From the sheer power of their blows, the cave's jaw caved in and sealed itself shut.

A chorus of cheers rang up into the air as Seele and Ashlotte took one step away from the closed cave. Seele wiped the back of his hand across his fore-head with a sigh.

Sophitia and Cassandra turned to the group of women with smiles of relief.

"The nightmare is over," said Sophitia to them, "you may return home and are safe from any more monsters for the times to come."

The women all gave a relaxing laugh. Each and everyone went by Cassandra and Sophitia, giving them thanks and blessings before they departed back home.

Seele sighed as he turned to watched them with Ashlotte, "Heh, all's well that end's well. Could not have asked for a better ending than this…"

Ashlotte returned a nod, "Right."

"Hey," Seele and Ashlotte turned to look in between them. Kami appeared in the middle of the two as she rubbed her stomach, "All that fighting has made me hungry – _desu_…"

Seele chuckled at the remark and he ruffled Kami's red-hair with his hand, "Always thinking about something to eat, eh? Heh, aren't you the glutton."

"…_BAKKA_!" she shrieked.

Cassandra and Sophitia soon approached the three with friendly smiles. Sophitia bowed, "Thank you very much, we couldn't be together again without your help."

Cassandra returned a nod, "For a jerk, you're not that bad."

Seele's brow cringed but he kept a calm smile, "Thanks…I'll take that as a compliment…"

"Is there any way we can repay you?" asked Sophitia.

"There is…" said Seele. He held out a hand and pointed directly at Sophitia's crystal necklace, "Can I have that crystal shard? It's very important to me."

"Wha-what?-!" yelped Cassandra, "I used half of my life saving just to buy that for Sophitia-neesan's birthday! There is no way I'm going to hand it over to the likes of—"

Sophitia giggled, "That's alright."

"ONEE-SAN!"

Gracefully, Sophitia pulled off her necklace and handed it over to Seele. He barely could control his excitement as soon as the crystal shard landed in his hand. It glowed brightly, on top of his palm and all the girls, excepted Ashlotte, were captivated by its beauty.

Seele transformed _Azure_ back into a crystal needle. He held the needle above the small crystal shard and waited. As if magic, the small shard instantly merged together with the crystal. After a flashing reaction, the needle transformed into a short and thin crystal rod with arrowhead fins on both ends.

"Wha…what just happened…" breathed Cassandra.

"So beautiful," whispered Sophitia.

Seele withdrew the crystal rod back into his coat sleeve. He cracked a wide smile.

"Everyone must be hungry. Let's have dinner together, my treat!"

The girls, except Ashlotte, exchanged happy expressions. Together, they all started to head off back into town.

"Ah," sighed Seele, "nothing beats a perfect day like this…" Seele continued to give a carefree chuckle. That was when a mosquito buzzed around Kami's head and bit her collar.

"_Ittai_!" she slapped. Annoyed, she swatted at the mosquito as it flew around her, while she trailed after in between Cassandra and Sophitia. As she madly swatted at the insect in the air, she accidentally slapped across Cassandra's and Sophitia's hips. The two girls gasped and stopped dead in their tracks. Kami continued forward, oblivious of the dark aura that surrounded the Alexandra sisters, as she swiped at the mosquito in irritation.

Suddenly, Seele bumped into the two sisters without knowing they have stopped. He curiously blinked as they turned to glare at him over their shoulders.

"What?"

Before he knew it, a pair of fists came at him. He was immediately ploughed over by a destructive smash to the face and he flew straight to the ground.

"JERK!" branded the sisters.

"GAH! I GIVE UP!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Sophitia Alexandra:** One of the several main characters and the initial fighters of the start of the entire Soul Edge and Soul Calibur Series. Her discipline is Athenian sword and shield style and her weapons are called Omega Sword and Elk Shield. Her younger sister is Cassandra Alexandra.


	8. Aider

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will recieve a proper sourcing.**__  
__**This is based from the famous sword-fighter game **_**"Soul Calibur IV"**_** by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }**  
[Chapter 7: Aider]

A bartender grimly wiped clean an iron mug with a dirty black towel. Misty smoke filled the air around him as he glanced at several corners of his roughly crowded pub-inn. All kinds of men were scattered about the large and splinter-covered floor. Sneering mercenaries, grinning knights, and frowning ruffians all sat around large tables, drinking beer and creating a loud chatter of conversation. Gold were angrily tossed aside by losing gamblers, whilst the victors had smiles that could reach their ears.

Suddenly the inn door burst open, the light of the morning sun flooded through. All the men hissed under their breaths at the light, their eyes narrowed with pain. Soon, they fell silent at the sight of a figure. He was a stranger who stood there in silence, his arms held apart the double doors. His body was clad in a long dune-colored coat, a dark blue bandanna-scarf around his neck, and a wide-brim hat with roughed out edges. From under his hat, the stranger's head slowly turned left and right, as if searching for eye contact. He had already grabbed their attention the moment he entered.

The stranger nonchalantly cleared his throat. He stepped forward and released his hold on the doors. Light instantly fled from his side, leaving him surrounded by near-pitched black darkness. Every man watched him as he strode toward the bartender. Some even pulled out a knife or two, almost playfully twirling them with their fingers.

The stranger pulled back a tall chair and climbed up it. As soon as it sat down the entire chair collapsed under his weight, dropping him straight to the floor with his hat flying. Men watched his loud fall, their expressions never changing. The hat landed perfectly across the bar counter, before the quiet bartender. He watched as a hand shot up from below the counter and grasped onto its surface. Next, a young boy at the age of 18, with dark cyan hair, balanced himself against the counter and to his feet with a gasp.

"You should be careful around here," mentioned the bartender, with a deep foreign accent, possibly Russian, "it is termite season."

The young stranger had no other words than, "Ow…" In seconds, every man returned to their lives of drinking, gambling, and arm-wrestling. The stranger lightly limped to one side, grabbed another empty tall chair, test-kicked at it for strength, and finally gently plopped down onto it. He let out a tired sigh, but was cut short when his hat was held in front of him. He looked up at the bartender, who gestured the hat to him.

"This yours?" he asked. The stranger lightly nodded and graciously took it back. He placed it back on his head and slightly hunched forward on his elbows against the counter, "So, what'll it be? Beer?"

"Nah, I'm allergic to alcohol…" muttered the young stranger. The men all stopped and glared at him. The stranger casually turned to look around and finally noticed their stares. He shrugged, "What?" They turned away and went back to their business. The stranger groaned and turned back to the bartender, "Mineral water please…"

The bartender raised an eyebrow, "Mineral water? What's that?"

"Gaah…just get me something non-alcoholic!" growled the stranger. The bartender stroked his moustache with the edge of his cloth, carefully watching the stranger. He turned away and made the stranger's order.

Again, the doors burst open. The stranger perked his head up at the sound, as several footsteps marched into the inn right behind him. It was three men. Two were rippling with muscles, both heads were rock-solid bald and wrapped around with pirate bandannas. They flanked another man, twice as shorter than they were and more rotund then muscular. A tattered tri-horn hat was perched across his wide head, a broad and proud grin carve across his meaty face.

The bartender turned in time to greet him, his frown turned upside down, "Good afternoon, Vinius…you said you have good news for us and we have already gathered everyone at your disposal…" The bartender rested a cup full of murky and thick cider-brown liquid in front of the stranger. He gazed down with a grimace.

"I said nothing alcoholic…"

The bartender shrugged with confusion, "It is apple juice, no?" The bartender wandered off down his counter, following the pace of the man named Vinius. The stranger hesitantly gazed down at the cup. He merely looked away and pushed it far off to one corner of the counter. He held back the urge to push it entirely off the edge and out of existence.

"Listen up, lads! For I've got a special treat for ye all!" cried Vinius. Men gathered about Vinus, their body tense for the so-called 'good news' and all sorts of questions buzzed.

"What is it?"

"Food? Weapons? Women?"

"Or is it gold…"

Vinius heartedly chuckled and shook his head, "One of ye are half right, but even better. I've got me−"

"A girl!" hollered out one of Vinius' lackeys. A heel of a small and stubby foot ploughed deeply into the lackey's foot. The lackey hollered, but the other slapped a thick hand across his pale lips.

Vinius stood back up straight and adjusted his captain like coat with an angry huff, "As I was about to say, lads…we've got ourselves a fine young lady in our presence." The room was filled with excitement and whistles. Vinius grinned and turned to look over his shoulder, "Come out here, me darling." As the cheering continued, Vinius reached out behind him and pulled forward a stumbling body. All fell silent. The stranger lightly turned his head and peered under his hat. He could not help a grin.

Standing next to Vinius' right, was a young 7 years old girl. Eyes blankly stared at her, their jaws dropping to the table and ground. The girl shyly trembled with fear. She tried to back away, but Vinius' vice-like grip caught onto her wrist and prevented her from leaving.

"I present to ye lads, our bargaining chip for glorious riches…the town mayor's daughter!" grinned Vinius. A man pushed his jaw back into place, his eyes gleaming with greed along with the rest of the crowd, "HAR-HAR-HAR! With this little bonny lass, we can reclaim what rightfully was once ours! Our ships! Our cannons! Our booty!" A loud cheer shook the roof.

The girl squeaked with fear and faltered back, but Vinius yanked her back to his side. He struggled a calm grin, suppressing the excitement rushing through his blood, and glimpsed at her.

"Let's hear ye name, missy."

The girl could barely utter a sound.

"Rebecca?"

All heads perked up with curiosity at the voice. They turned their eyes to the stranger, who stared at the girl while sitting on his bar-stool. He grinned and waved at her, "Hey there."

The girl, Rebecca, was surprised. Vinius' mouth was wide open. The stranger hopped off of his seat and walked towards the men. He calmly strode in between Vinius' two lackeys and crouched down to Rebecca's height. She blinked with curiosity as she stared at him blankly.

"I'm glad that you're alright, Rebecca. Your dad is worried sick about you," said the stranger.

Tears started to well up in her small round eyes. She sniffed, "Papa…"

"Hm-hm," nodded the stranger with a smile, "Rebecca, can you go upstairs and wait for me? Don't forget to cover yours ears, okay?" Rebecca wiped away her tears with a smile. The stranger chuckled, "Things are going to get pretty messy here, so don't come down until I say so, promise?"

Rebecca happily nodded. Luckily, Vinius' grip slackened from utter confusion and she obliviously slipped her arm from him. She lightly skipped past Vinius' dumbstruck men and scurried up the stairs. She took a moment to peek over the staircase and smiled at the stranger, "Thank you, Oniichan (Big Brother)…" She then disappeared above the second floor.

Vinius turned his horrified gaze over to the stranger. The stranger still had his smile on, the front brim of his hat hovering over his eyes.

"WHY YE!" screeched Vinius. He instantly gripped the stranger by the collar and held his as high as he could, "LISTEN HERE YE−"

"NO – **YOU** LISTEN!" Without warning, the stranger's arms latched onto Vinius' wrist like tight manacles. He pried them off his coat and in return lifted Vinius up by his collar. Vinius was held in the air, his feet dangling and his eyes wide with surprise.

"What in the world are you thinking?-!" hollered the stranger, "Do you think this is a kid's game? Kidnapping a little girl as a bargaining chip to get back your miserable lives of piracy and lawlessness! You guys are the lowest hu– _people_ – I have ever MET!"

With that, he tossed Vinius into the air. Several men instantly stepped aside to avoid a flying Vinius. He finally crashed into a group of shattered beer kegs. A quick shower of beer sprayed over him as he was drenched in alcohol. He snapped out of his shocking trance and instantly flashed deadly glares to all his men.

"What are ye *HIC* standing there for *HIC*…GET HIM!" coughed Vinius. Vinius' lackeys dashed towards the door and bolted it shut, standing by it to prevent any escape. Swords, daggers, pistols, empty bottles, and broken legs of chairs were drawn forth. Instantly, every man within the inn had the stranger surrounded and started to close in on him. The stranger merely chuckled.

"Heh, you guys don't know who I am?" The men stopped and exchanged confused glances to one another. The stranger pushed up the front brim of his hat higher to reveal his smirk and confident dark blue eyes, "The name's Seele Rubilac!" The men exchanged even more confused gazes. They soon charged with a bloodthirsty cry.

"Hold it," grinned Seele. The men instantly stopped as Seele lightly sauntered around within the center of the lethal circle, "If you really want a rumble, please be my guest…but be warned, for _Angels will fall from the sky_…" Silence followed. No one had any idea what he was talking about. A faint vein pulsed across Seele's forehead as he raised his voice, "I said…_Angels will fall from the skyyyyyyy…_" The men stirred, not knowing what to understand. Vinius bolted to his feet. He was about to give the final orders to his men, until a pair of female voices sounded above their heads.

"_…_Do you think that was the signal?" asked a young voice.

"I do not know. Seele did not specifically say what would the signal be," replied a passive and emotionless voice.

"Geez, that _bakka_ should have told us more clearly – _desu_."

Seele shook with bottled anger, "KAMI! _**NOW**_ WOULD BE THE SIGNAL!"

"Heh?" Suddenly, the roof above everyone creaked. Dust rained down and the ceiling beams snapped, "WAH!"

A portion of the roof broke in and a small figure fell through with a shriek. In seconds, the figure and debris landed directly on top of Vinius with a thundering crack. Dust swelled up into the air. Seele blankly stared at the fallen pile in front of him. He slaps a hand to his face as the dust parted to reveal the figure.

"Owie…" uttered the figure. It was a girl, with fiery-red hair, a pair of small yellow horns, who wore a black kimono with a torn right sleeve and flame decal across its edges, and had a large set of pearl-white prayer beads. She glared up at Seele with a feisty and hot-tempered air, "_BAKKA_! Why did I listened to you and stay up on the roof – _desu_?-!"

"This isn't the best time for that, Kami…" groaned Seele, his face covered by his right hand.

Kamikirimusi, or Kami, gazed around. The surrounding men all stared at her in blank shock, in peculiar at her horns. She noticed their looks, puffed her cheeks, and slapped her hands onto the top of her head to cover her horns. Vinius, on the other hand, was out cold from Kami's landing on top of his back. Curiosity swept through Kami as she bounced up and down on what she was sitting on, but ignored it as she glared at Seele.

"What now?" she grumbled.

"Hey, where's Ashlotte?" wondered Seele, dropping his hand.

"Eh? A-chan?" wondered Kami.

"Yes?"

Seele and Kami looked up, as well as the men. The ceiling started to rain dust again. In seconds, the beams snapped some more and gave way. Another figure dropped from above the roof.

Seele faltered back with shock and held out his arms, "A-A-ASHLOTTE!"

A heavy object crashed right on top of Seele. Dust exploded and filled up the entire inn. Men coughed hysterically as they rubbed their eyes. Kami shivered with absolute horror as the dust started to fade.

"B-_bakka_? A…A-chan?"

The second figure was a girl with light grey skin, long silver-grey hair, a grey-white bonnet, and an iron dress with a metal-framed bell-skirt, which also had a heart-shaped opening of gears in her stomach area. She was sitting bent over forward from her landing. Like a doll, she slowly sat up straight. She quietly looked around with passive eyes, void of emotions. Her eyes finally fell onto a petrified Kami.

"Yes? You called me?" replied Ashlotte.

"Are you," gulped Kami, "okay?"

Ashlotte returned a firm nod, "I am perfectly fine." Ashlotte turned to one side and lifted up an edge of her metal skirt. Underneath was Seele, with Ashlotte sitting right on top of his back, "Are you alright, Seele?"

"…Oh…" breathed Seele.

Vinius' eyes open wide awake, glinting with unmatchable fury. He bolted to his feet and heaved Kami over his head, surprising her. With a snarl, he tossed the girl through the air.

"UWAH!" shrieked Kami. She plopped upside down across Ashlotte's lap. Seele gasped under the newly added weight.

"GET THEM!" hollered Vinius. The men snapped out of their trance. They charged and struck out at Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami. Just as they crowded around them, a powerful burst of frosty blue light erupted. The sudden force sent several men flying backwards, over the heads of the others. They turned as more backed away. Vinius was both horrified and furious.

A fiery blue aura surrounded Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami, as they stood. Seele grinned as he pulled out a crystal rod, with a pair of arrowheads at both ends of them, from his sleeve.

"_Azure_, **Next Shift-Evolution**..." He held onto the crystal rod with both hands, side by side, and crushed it within his palms, "_AMETHYST_!" The crystal turned into dust and soon transformed into a long crystal blue double-bladed sword. Seele twirled it over his head and held it at the ready. Vinius was flabbergasted as men started to back away some more. Seele smirked and readied himself, "Let's go! Ashlotte! Kami!

"Understood," spoke Ashlotte. She then pulled out her long and heavy iron halberd, _Krnielk_.

"Go and disappear – _desu_!" growled Kami. She too pulled out her long iron club with several spikes at the end, _Denryu Bakuha_.

"G-get them! GET THEM!" cried Vinius.

Seele leapt forward at Vinius' men. With graceful swings of his blade and skilful movement he easily tore through them; a knight charging on horseback into the thin mist. He stopped and ducked under two blades that swiped at his head. He planted the blunt ends of his double-bladed sword behind the attackers' legs and forcefully flipped them. The rogue knight and bandit somersaulted in the air and fell onto the floor with a deafening thud. Seele turned to look to his sides at the faltering men.

"Come on! Don't keep me waiting!"

Ashlotte brought down her halberd onto the skull of a thick headed mercenary. His face twisted with unconsciousness, before the halberd returned to slap him away at the face. Ashlotte glimpsed over her right shoulder. She back-stepped in time to avoid a scimitar from slashing her shoulder. She struck the back end of her halberd into the stomach of the attacking thief, doubling him over with a gasp. Ashlotte then gripped him by the back of his collar and sent him hurling into a group of charging men in front of her. She readied herself for any more attacks.

"It is disrespectful to attack someone from behind."

Kami swung her massive club around her head. Her blows sent men flying everywhere as she growled under her breath. She stopped and lanced her weapon forward, striking at several mercenaries and pirates in a single line. They collapsed to the floor with a thud. She let out a tired breath, until when she snapped and snarled on another attacker. Taken aback by fear, the attacker fell backward and started to run out of the inn.

"Don't think I'm useless because I'm small – _desu_!"

Every man ran in shear terror. They all rushed forward and collided against the barred door. Shoving Vinius' stone-headed lackeys aside, they unbarred the door and rushed out like a fleeing flock of deer.

Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami stood back together again and watched them leave. The last man went scrambling out, letting the double doors swivel back and forth in silence. They slowly turned back to one man that remained standing, Vinius.

He was flabbergasted as his eyes searched around the inn, for anyone to bark an attacking order at. No one was left, except for the bartender. He simply and slowly ducked under his counter and disappeared out of the situation.

"You…accursed wretches!" growled Vinius at Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami.

Seele placed his double-bladed sword, _Amethyst_, over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow, "Ex-Pirate Captain Vinius…you are hereby under arrest!" Kami perked her head up in confusion and turned to look at Seele strangely. Ashlotte curiously stared at Seele as well. He never seemed to notice their eyes, nor what he was saying, "You have the right to remain silence, but anything you say will be recorded and used against you in court."

Vinius blinked, "Wh-what are you blabbering about ye landlubber?"

"What are you talking about – _desu_?" muttered Kami. Ashlotte kept her gaze on Seele.

Seele finally realized what he said and cleared his throat, "N-nothing! Just a…random thought in my head…"

Without warning, a flintlock pistol and blunderbuss was drawn forth. Kami turned and eyed Vinius, the mad-eyed pirate captain. He held onto the two weapons with a victorious grin.

"Well then, how's this for a thought?" chuckled Vinius, "Any wrong move and I'll blow ye all to China!" Kami curiously gaze at the two weapons in Vinius' hands.

"What are those? They looks like toys – _desu_…" grumbled Kami.

"Actually they're guns," pointed out Seele, "and _man_ are they prehistorically old…"

Vinius was taken aback, "O-OLD? I just got this fresh off the black market!" His eyebrow cringed, "What in Davy Jones' Locker is _'prehistoric'_?" Seele winced. Vinius shrugged off the question, "Whatever ye say, laddie…Now…" Vinius aimed his pistol and blunderbuss at Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami with a vicious grin, "Say ye−"

A thick rope quickly unwounded from above. It slipped off a hook and it dropped a large iron and candle-lit chandelier with a snap. Vinius was taken aback and looked up, as well as Seele, Ashlotte, and Kami. To Vinius's horror, the chandelier was falling onto him.

"W-WAIT!" he howled. The chandelier crashed right on top of him. Dust kicked up across the floor as Seele and Kami coughed. Ashlotte simply blinked and turned her attention to the bottom of the chandelier. Vinius was pinned down under the fallen object, utterly out cold.

"Well that takes care of him *COUGH*," grimaced Seele.

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

Seele perked his head up at the voice. With Kami and Ashlotte, they looked up to the railing of the second floor. A small figure struggled to leap over onto the railing. It finally pulled itself forward to be revealed as a girl. She grinned, "Sorry, Oniichan, if I scared you!"

Seele could not help a chuckle, "Way to go Rebecca!"

[******]

"Papa!" Rebecca ran across the cobblestone street of the town. She finally leapt forward into the open arms of her tall and hefty father, the Mayor.

"Oh, Rebecca! I'm glad that you're alright!" whispered the Mayor, with a warm embrace.

From behind him approached a tall and slender woman with long green hair and wore a pair of glasses, the Mayor's assistant. She smiled as she adjusted her glasses, "Congratulations for your daughter's safe return."

"No, Darleena…the real gratitude goes to…" the Mayor raised his gaze over Rebecca's small shoulders, "them."

Seele shyly rubbed the back of his head. Ashlotte and Kami stood next to him, as they watched the Mayor reunited with his daughter.

"Ah-ha…I-it was nothing really," Seele said.

Ashlotte lightly bowed, "You are welcome." Kami kept her silence as she grumbled with her lips twisting in distaste, almost exhausted like.

"How can we ever repay you?" asked Darleena.

Seele happily waved off the offer, "No, no! There's no need to repay us at all! Besides, we're glad we could help rescue your daughter. We're content that she's safe, right girls?"

"Yes," answered Ashlotte.

"Hmm…" moaned Kami, not listening.

Rebecca turned to look at Seele with a smile. From her father's arm, she scurried over to him. Seele crouched down to her level just as she approached him. She shyly folded her hands across her dress skirt with a blush, "Thank you, Oniichan!"

"Ah, not a problem!" grinned Seele. He cheerfully took off his tattered hat, gave it a quick pat to separate the dust, and neatly rested across Rebecca's head, "Here's something to remember us by." Strangely, the hat was a perfect fit. That was until the front brim leaned over her entire face. Seele nervously chuckled and help to adjust it, "Maybe in time when you grow, it'll fit."

"Oniichan?"

"Hm-hm?"

Seele pushed up the front brim to show Rebecca's face. She looked timid as her brightening gaze was lowered to the ground, "When I grow up…I want to marry you!"

With that she tiptoed and gave Seele a quick kiss on his cheek. He froze with surprise as Rebecca giggled and ran back to her father. The Mayor chuckled and picked her up into his arms.

"Thank you again, young ones…" smiled the Mayor with a bow. Darleena waved a cheery good-bye. Together, the Mayor and Darleena happily walked off into the town street.

Rebecca lifted herself across her father's shoulder, looking back and waving with a wide smile, "Bye-bye, Oniichan! Oneechan!" Seele stood back up, perplexed, as he rubbed his cheeks.

"Hah…she kissed me…" uttered Seele. He realized something, "_'Marry me'_? Hey, Kami what did she meant by marry−"

Kami threw a dark look at Seele, "Oi, _bakka_…you shouldn't get all lovey-dovey – de−" Instantly she gagged on her breath at a terrifying sight. She looked passed an oblivious Seele and saw a dark purple aura shrouding over a particular silent girl's shoulder, "A…A-chan?"

Ashlotte had a passive face, but the aura around her told Kami otherwise. She slowly turned her to look at Seele with her glinting yellow eyes.

"Seele?" she asked, her tone hinted with an unknown emotion, "What was that all about?"

"Huh?" blinked Seele, "About what?"

Ashlotte stood silent for a moment. She finally turned away, "Nothing…nothing at all." Seele looked confused, but shrugged the thought off. Kami gulped as she saw the black aura around Ashlotte grew a tad bit bigger.

[******]

"Phew…turned out to be quite a day…" sighed Seele. He walked down the busy town street with his arms folded behind his head. Closely following him were Ashlotte, whose aura has already dissipated, and Kami, who had a tired frown on her face, "Despite what I said though, it's still in the afternoon, too early to turn in for the night." Seele stopped and turned to Ashlotte and Kami, "So what do you girls want to−"

A queasy growl gurgled into the air, followed by a low moan. Ashlotte turned to the source of the sound. Seele followed by looking down and straight at that source.

"Hmm…I'm hungry…" muttered Kami.

Seele rolled his eyes with a faint grin, "You're always hungry, Kami…"

Kami puffed her cheeks out in rage, "SHUT UP! _BAKKA_! I'm an oni, and onis need food after a fight – _desu_!"

"Alright, alright," chuckled Seele, "But first, I think we should get some provisions…" He playfully eyed Kami, "Lot's of them…"

Kami angrily charged forward at Seele. A pale grey hand held Kami by the back of her kimono to keep the little girl's thrashing hands from reaching Seele.

"UNHAND ME, A-CHAN!" shrieked Kami, "LET ME AT HIM – LET ME AT HIM – _DESU~_!"

"Forgive me, Kami-chan, but I cannot allow you to harm Seele…" replied Ashlotte.

Kami gave up her fury as she stood with her shoulders shaking. Seele grinned with a cheerful air around him as he leaned closer to Kami, "Why don't you be a good little girl and listen to us adults?" The vein across Kami's forehead blew its fuse.

"_BAKKA! BAKKA-BAKKA! BAAAAAAKKAAA!_"

Seele stood back up and turned on his heels, waving a hand over his shoulder, "It's settled then. Ashlotte, Kami, you two look for food and provisions. I'll go look around to see if there's anything special we may need to know of…"

"Do you not want us to accompany you?" asked Ashlotte.

"Nah. I prefer being away from a shrieking little girl for a moment…"

Ashlotte blinked, while she still held onto a raging Kami from pouncing on Seele, "Are you…alright?"

Seele stopped in his steps, silent. Kami's anger was instantly doused out and replaced with curiosity. Ashlotte softened her gaze as she stared at the back of Seele. He never turned, but continued forward.

His voice deepened with a sense of distress, "I hope so…"

[******]

"BLAH!"

Seele head rose from the glassy surface of a pail full of cold water. He rapidly shook his head and dunked his face in again. He held it down in the water for a long time, abnormally long. His expression was calm as his eyes blankly stared at the bottom of the wooden pail. Slowly he pulled his face out and balanced himself over the rim of the well he stood before. His eyes are deep in though as drops from his hair and face trickled into the pail's tranquil surface.

"What is wrong with me?" he muttered, his voice unsure, "Ah…the words are coming out of my mouth again…and they don't even belong in this era…Geez…" Seele stood up. He looked down at his hands, "I'm getting stronger in strength…but losing control over myself…Could this be a good or bad sign…" Seele sighed. He stared up at the sky, his face still dripping wet. His eyes stared up at the wandering clouds.

"Will I ever be able to fix myself…to reclaim who I really am?" wondered Seele. He lowered his head, "or will I be a complete burden to anyone?" Seele sighed again, "Man…it's difficult being human…" Seele levelled his gaze, "Oh well, got it deal with it for now…"

Seele chuckled and wiped his face dry with his sleeve, "Besides, it can't get any wors−" Without warning, a cold slap of water splashed onto him from one side. Surprised he spat the water out of his mouth and wiped the water from his face, irritated, "I just had to say it…" He suddenly turned to the one who splashed with angry eyes, "I just had to say it, didn't I-EEEeeeeeeeeeeeee…e?" His voice trailed off and his eyes widen with astonishment.

At the doorway of the back-end of a small building he came eye with eye with a young girl, at the age of 17. She had long silky blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. Her skin was a creamy peach color and had faint rosy red cheeks. Her very appearance made Seele stared in awe. The girl stared at him for a long time, silent as she held onto an empty bucket that dripped water from its edges.

Seele nervously chuckled, "Uh…s-sorr−"

The girl's sweet voice softly rang out, hinted with a French accent, "Can you speak French?"

"E-eh?" wondered Seele. He stared at the French girl with a quiet and confused look.

"Well? Do you?" she asked again.

"Uh…" uttered Seele. He hesitantly held up his hand and loosely pinched the air, "a little?" Without warning, the French girl placed the bucket over his head, "Wha – Hey! What are you doing?-!"

The French girl gripped at his arms and instantly yanked him inside the building. He disappeared with a crash and the French girl immediately slammed the door behind her. She shoved the bolt shut and slowly turned to Seele. He was covered in a pile of pots and pans. A bucket hovered in the air and turned left and right, with a voice nervously echoing from it.

"H-Hey? Who turned out the lights? Bring them back on, I hate being in the dark!" cried Seele. Suddenly, the bucket popped off his head with the help of the girl's hands. After a shake of his head, he sighed with relief, "Ah…thank you-uuuuuuuuu…." His gagged as he was closely stared at the French girl that – somewhat – abducted him. Seele nervously shook as the French girl examined his face, "Y-yes? Wh-what can I do for you…miss…"

"Lucia," crisply replied the gentle-looking girl. She stood back up and gazed down at Seele, her arms folded, with a strange and hostile air, "My name is Lucia Agne…and you would be?"

Seele nervously rubbed the back of his head. He then noticed his hand was stuck in a glass jar, "Uh…Seele Rubilac…nice to make your acquaintance?"

"Don't be," replied Lucia, coldly, "for when I'm done with you, there will be no good reason to know you anymore."

"…Okay," gulped Seele. Finally, he spared a second to look around him. He was in a kitchen, possibly of a grand restaurant. It was wide and spacious, housing all sorts of kitchen tables, stoves, and utensils. Pots, pans, knives, and all kinds of drinking glasses dangled from the ceiling; a hanging garden of kitchen items, "Um…where exactly am I…if I'm allowed to ask?"

Lucia sighed as her eyes closed, "Welcome to _Sérénade de Lune_, a French cuisine restaurant. This is one of the biggest restaurants that exist in this town and almost world-renown for its unique variations of French dishes…"

Seele nodded. He looked around again with curiosity, "Uh…is it a holiday or something today?"

"No. Why do you ask?" wondered Lucia, her tone still the same.

"Where's all the other chefs?" asked Seele. True enough, the entire kitchen was void of life, expect for Lucia and Seele. Lucia did not answer right away, but rather stared at Seele with hostility.

"…They've quit," she finally answered, her words hard.

"Eh?"

"Everyone here…has given up their job because of a special guest…as well as the deadliest food critique of all time has arrived to our restaurant…"

"Who?"

Lucia hesitated and turned away, "A French noble by the name of…Raphael Sorel*."

Seele nodded in understanding. He suddenly realized something, "Ra-Raphael?"

Before he could ask any more questions, Lucia knelt down before him. She stared deeply at Seele, her expression of neutrality never changing. Yet, Seele could see something deep behind her shining blue eyes. He could not believe it. She was just as distressed as he was a moment ago.

Lucia took in a deep breath and lowered her gaze to the floor, "I…need your help…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Raphael Sorel:** One of the several main characters and fighters of the Soul Calibur series. His main weapon is a rapier, Flamberge, and he fights with deadly elegance and lethal accuracy. He has an adopted daughter named Amy, who is also a playable character in the series starting with _**Soul Calibur III**_.

**Aider:** In French it is the verb 'To Help'.


	9. Food for the Soul

**_All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will receive a proper sourcing.  
This is based from the famous sword-fighting game _"Soul Calibur IV"_ by _NAMCO_ and _Bandai_._**

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }  
**[Chapter 8: Food for the Soul]

Ashlotte strode through the heavily crowded market place. She looked left and right while walking by the stalls of food and valuable items, her expression never changing.

Following closely behind her was a shady and small being. It was covered head to toe with a burly and overlarge travelling cloak and crowned with a tattered straw hat. The hat itself was also a little oversized for the being's tiny head, but it would have to do. However, the brim would constantly droop over the eyes, invoking an irritated growl.

"Ah, geez!" Kami shoved the hat from her eyes and slapped it as tight as she could to her skull. Accidentally, she slapped too hard and made her head spin for a second, "Ow!…grrrr~!" She blocked out the dizziness by puffing her cheeks in distaste, "A-chan…Could I not wear this hat? It's too big for me and it keeps getting into my eyes – _desu_."

"It is still best to conceal your identity, Kami, if we wish to avoid any confrontation with the townspeople here…" answered Ashlotte, "Seele would agree…" As usual, her words was flat and deadpan. However, Kami curiously picked up a different tone when Ashlotte mentioned Seele's name. The little Oni-girl soon shrugged and ignored it, finding it not that important then.

"Anyways…Let's see if we can grab some food before we meet up with _Bakka_ again – _desu_…" Kami's hat slipped over her eyes again, "WAH! Stupid hat – _desu_!"

The human doll nodded, surprisingly absent-minded. The two kept moving forward, until Ashlotte came to a sudden halt.

"A-chan?" Kami whirled about, spotting Ashlotte several paces behind her. She was standing before a fruit stall before the Oni scurried back to her side. The little girl leaned to one side, examining her friend.

Ashlotte had always been the silent and emotionless type, her face constantly passive and unreadable. However, today was a bit different. Kami took notice of an even blanker look on her human-doll face. The little girl grumbled to herself as she found a way to pin her hat straight on her head with the use of her horns before asking, "Hey, A-chan, what do you plan on buy—"

Kami trailed off with a gag of shock. She was staring down at the fruit, unbelievable old, bruised, and rotten beyond mercy. She realized that Ashlotte was not standing in front of the stall…but a step or two to the side in front of a rotting compost pile. Ashlotte only blinked, before reaching out to take a dead-brown apple.

"W-WAIT, A-CHAN!" A pair of small hands gripped onto Ashlotte's wrist. This finally woke up the living doll from whatever trance she was placed under. Not at all aware, she glimpsed at her small Oni friend.

"…Yes?"

Kami glanced at her friend, as if trying to read her unreadable face, "Is…something bothering you – _desu_?"

Ashlotte turned without a word. She finally replied, "I…do not know."

"What is it?" Kami's expression flattened when she remembered the feeling about Ashlotte's tone, "You can't be serious…_Bakka_?" Ashlotte turned and walked down the road. Kami paused with a sigh, and then closely followed after her.

"I feel that he is…in distress…"

"Eh? You're serious about that _Bakka_? Sure he was acting weird and all that, but there is no point in worrying about what's wrong with him – _desu_." Kami gazed up at Ashlotte from the corner of her eye, "Besides, that _Bakka_ will take care of himself…you don't have to be bothered about it anymore – _desu_."

Ashlotte's gaze was silent, but unsteady, as she whispered, "I wish…I could help Seele…"

"Eh? What was that – _desu_?"

Ashlotte shook her head, "Nothing…nothing at all…" She continued forward without another word.

"A-chan?" Ashlotte stopped and turned to Kami. The small Oni-girl was a few steps away from Ashlotte. Kami's hat covered over her eyes as her lips twisted in both distaste and shyness, "Would you feel better…if we went to go check on that _Bakka_?"

Nothing was spoken for a moment. Finally, Ashlotte fully turned to Kami and gave a thankful nod, "Thank you, Kami."

[******]

"A hierarchy of guys being more dominate than girls?" wondered Seele, out loud, "Hah…who would have thought it would even apply in a quiet town like this?"

"You have no idea what I went through to become just a chef here," angrily muttered Lucia. With a voice entwined with a French accent, her eyes narrowed.

She focused long and harder on the tiny numbers across a long measuring tape. Part by part, she was estimating Seele's overall size and height. For whatever reason in doing so, Seele had no clue.

"Men always think they can do everything better than women…think that women like me should now their place; remain in their homes to act as good and non-educated housewives," snarled Lucia, teeth bared and ready, "men like them sicken me…"

"Heh-heh…" nervously chuckled Seele. He instantly whirled his head away with an innocent and shaky whistle, Lucia's eyes glaring at him. She hung the measuring tape around his shoulders and wandered off. The girl approached a nearby closest, at the far back of the kitchen, and opened it. Seele peered over her shoulder.

The closet was filled with all sizes of chef uniforms and aprons, without wrinkles and pristine white. Lucia's index finger skimmed across the uniforms' shoulders, until she came across one. She pulled it off the hangar and marched right back to Seele. He practically sprung back as soon as she halted right in front of him.

"You're coat. Off with it."

"H-hey, don't I get a say—" Seele's eyes instantly met Lucia's, and it was not comfortable look. Immediately, he swallowed the rest of his words and whipped off his long coat. He set it aside and allowed Lucia to help him put on the chef's uniform.

"Men; arrogant, prideful, and egomaniacs…" muttered Lucia. Seele wanted to add something, but thought better when Lucia flashed a glare at him, "You could say I consider myself lucky that I have this job as a chef…and not get harassed by them all day…" Lucia started to button the uniform as Seele remain as rigid as ice.

"So…You must really like to cook if you're that determined to…face guys like them…" Seele uttered shakily.

Lucia finished up the last of his uniform button. She stopped and lowered her head, her gaze still fiery, "Ever since I was a little girl, I always love food…especially my mother's cooking. Since then, I started to pursue my culinary goals, hoping one day to become a high-class chef." She turned around to grab a small red rectangular scarf. She tossed one side around Seele's neck and instantly pulled him close to meet face to face, "Do you wish to know what I really want, other than to become a high-class chef?"

"Um…" wondered Seele, sweat practically pouring down his fore-head, "…mind if I have a hint." Lucia suddenly pulled him closer. They noses barely touched one another as Lucia gazed deeply into Seele's dark blue eyes.

"To be free. To travel around the world. To feel new tastes. To learn something new everyday. To be inspired to create the best food in the world…" whispered Lucia, with a hidden sense of joyful dreaming.

"Wow…that's…a pretty big order…" uttered Seele. Lucia's face flinched with confusion. Seele realized his words, "I mean ambition! **Big** ambitions!" Lucia rolled her eyes and shoved him back, only to yank him straight with the scarf.

"Don't get any wrong ideas. Since all of the men have fled like wolf-chased chickens, I am the only chef left to prove her worth…" Lucia started to tie up the scarf around Seele's neck, "I don't mind the challenge, but I do not want to be judged on what I am. So I need you to take the brunt of that judgment…"

"I-it's not a problem, really," Seele struggled a smile, "you can count on − GOH!" Lucia had suddenly pulled the knot together really tight, choking him. Seele gagged for a second as Lucia kept her glare on him.

"You wouldn't believe how many men I have met over the years have told me that and still end up betraying me…" Lucia grimaced, "I won't be surprised if you did the same." With that, she stormed off to pick up a stack of waitress' clothing to change.

Seele gasped a, "S-sorry…"

Lucia stopped at the doorway of an empty change room. She looked back at Seele over her shoulder, her eyes glinting with suppressed hatred, "They also told me the same thing after I kicked their shins in for all they're worth…"

Finally, she slammed the door behind her.

[******]

Fingers drummed across the white-clothed dinner table. A sneer slowly stretched as another hand played with a clear wine-glass of ruby-red wine. His manservant gulped up the courage to break his master's irritated silence.

"M-Master, Raphael…d-do you want me to check to see what is taking them so long?"

Raphael Sorel, a man of utmost maturity and high nobility. His hair was bleach-blonde and his eyes were shimmering crimson. Skin was pale, but his rich noble's suit and robe covered for the lack of color he had. He merely grimaced as he sipped at his red-wine.

"No, Francoise, don't bother. If it is one thing I have learned in enjoying a fine cuisine, is to never rush the professionals with their work. But I do wish that someone would have come out to greet me after waiting for nearly an hour." Raphael stretched a faint smile, to hide his annoyance, "Don't you agree, Amy."

Amy Sorel*, a young girl with a gentle and innocent air around her sat next to the Frenchman. Her hair was long and dark amber, tied in thick and coiled pigtails. The dress she wore was black with rich frills and laces. Her eyes were pale red and her skin too was on nearly equal terms with Raphael's complexion. Nonetheless, she looked lively and kind as she smiled with her rosy red lips.

"Yes papa," she giggled, "you're absolutely right…"

"Besides," gloated Raphael to himself, "I am merely here to celebrate our anniversary together…How long has it been since we've first became father and daughter, Amy? 10? 12 years?"

"Hmmm, I think it was longer than that," mentioned Amy, "forgive me, papa, but I can't remember as well."

Raphael waved a hand with a smirk, "Never mind the details, my dear Amy. What matters now is the joyous celebration of our union together. Come, a toast to us."

"Ah, papa," replied Amy with soft and timid giggle, "I'm still under aged…"

Raphael teetered his head to one side with a bored expression and simply drank his glass whole.

Suddenly the doors to the kitchen burst open. Raphael first sat still in his seat, before he slowly regained his noble-like posture. His only maid and manservant straightened, ready to take on any ordeal that would be thrown at them. Amy sat up in her chair with a look of intrigue.

A beautiful waitress, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a young chef, with dark cyan hair and dark-blue eyes, approached the sole table bearing Raphael and Amy Sorel. Every other table, even the restaurant itself, was entirely deserted.

"Monsieur Sorel…please forgive us," said the waitress with a fearful, but calmly controlled bow, "we did not mean to keep you waiting. I was just going over with the chef of who we will be meeting today."

"Ah," replied Raphael. His red eyes glinted as he quietly gazed at the waitress, then to the peculiar chef with dark-blue eyes.

"You certainly took you're time!" growled the manservant, "You could have at least showed up for us before doing anything else!"

Raphael waved a light hand and the manservant kept his tongue still from then on.

The waitress took in a deep breath, "Excuser moi Monsieur, Mademoiselle. This is Chef Seele Rubelis…"

"_Rubilac_," corrected the chef, with a faint French accent. Without their audience's knowing, the waitress stamped on the chef's foot. He kept on a calm smile as he simply winced.

"A pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Seele…as your co-worker may have told you, I am Raphael Sorel…"

"Nice to meet you, Monsieur Seele. My name is Amy."

The chef hid a quiet look as he kept his back straight, as well as his thoughts. He returned a polite nod to Amy and nodded back just as politely.

"Y-yes…well, the reason why we took this long to see you is…because Master Chef Seele can only speak French…" replied the waitress, "I thought best to let him know beforehand of what to do and expect…in case language becomes a problem of understanding one another…"

Amy slightly angled her head with interest as she stared into the chef's mysterious dark-blue eyes. Raphael simply raised his eyesight's to fall on the chef and grinned.

"_Chef Seele…avec lequel planifiez-vous en portion de nous_?" spoke Raphael.  
[Chef Seele...what do you plan on serving us with?]

The waitress hesitated and nervously stared down at the table. The chef simply chuckled.

"_Pour les hors-d'oeuvres, je commencerai avec la crevette de tigre fraîche emballée dans le lard fumé. Je servirai aussi une salade grecque avec les légumes coupés et quelques pommes de terre. Alors finalement, le plat principal aura le trac dans la sauce de crème de champignon..._"  
[For appetizers, I shall start with fresh tiger shrimp wrapped in bacon. I will also serve a Greek salad with sliced vegetables and some potatoes. Then finally, the main dish shall be chicken in mushroom cream sauce...]

The air was silent for a long time. The waitress' eyes were wide as she kept her blank stare on the table. The maid and manservant of Raphael had their mouths wide open. Amy's lips stretched into a smile. Raphael kept his cold red-eyed stare on the chef.

The chef grinned, "_Est ce assez bon pour votre goût, Monsieur Sorel_?"  
[Is that good enough for your taste, Mr. Sorel?"

A pair of gloved hands clapped, highly impressed. To the waitress' surprise, they belonged to Raphael. Another pair of hands followed, more gentle and fascinated. It was Amy, who also applauded with a bright looking expression on her tender face.

"_Très bien_, chef Seele…" grinned Raphael, "It has been a while since I had a nice chat with a fellow Frenchmen. Well done." The chef bowed with respect. The waitress blankly hesitated before following. Raphael lowered his hands, "I'll be waiting for the good news then…carry on." With that, the chef and waitress stood back up and crisply turned. They walked towards the kitchen door.

"_Merci beaucoup_, Monsieur Seele."  
[Thank you very much.]

The chef stopped half way before entering the kitchen and turned. He came eye to eye with Raphael Sorel's daughter, Amy. She returned a soft wave and a down-to-earth grin. The chef, curious, returned a short wave back…until a slender hand shot out of the door and yanked him into the kitchen – with a small crash.

"What is with those eyes, Amy?" The girl jumped in her seat. She slowly turned to Raphael, who looked at her from the corner of his eyes; a faint grin was hidden behind his folded hands. Amy shyly lowered her gaze.

"Nothing papa," she smiled dreamily. She then toned down her voice, letting her whisper reach her own ears, "I thought I saw something…wonderful behind Monsieur Seele's eyes…"

[******]

"_Imbecille_!"

Lucia instantly shoved Seele into a nearby metal rack. He bounced off it with abrupt shock as pots and pans cluttered across the floor, causing him to tumble across the floor. Instantly, he bolted back to his feet with a scowl.

"_Ce qui était cela_—" He stopped, did some rethinking, and continued, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?-!"

Lucia held up a hand with strained and suppressed rage. She never spoke a word as she gestured her hands at Seele to go away several steps back or so. Seele's will never yielded.

"Fine, we'll deal with that later. Right now…" a grin stretched on his face, "Let's get cooking!" Seele walked of towards a nearby stove and looked around, "Okay we need pots, pans, and lots of them!"

A slender hand gripped at the back of Seele's collar. Before he could retort, he was jerked and thrown backwards across the ground. Without waiting for his tumble to finish, Lucia marched right past him and towards the stoves.

"I'm the chef here! As long as I am in this kitchen what I say – **goes**! Do we understand each other?-!"

Seele returned a groan as he lied across the cold-tiled floor, "Sure…"

[******]

"…Are we lost – _desu_?"

Kami nervously twisted her lip as she stood in the middle of a crossroad. It was swamped with tons of people and lumbering wagons. She looked left and right, forward and backward, but still could not figure out which was which anymore.

The little Oni thought of asking for direction, but that went down the drain. Either these people failed to acknowledge her short stature or completely ignored her, they all walked past before she could even open her mouth. This was one of the many reasons why she hated humans so much.

"Grrr…Just where is that Bakka – _desu_?-!" She cursed that certain someone so hard, he would be sneezing right about now.

Giving up, the Oni-girl returned to her friend, the Iron Maiden.

Ashlotte stood before a post bearing multiple directional signs. She stared at them for a long time, eyes trailing each and every names. Approached by her small companion, Kami sighed.

"Any luck in finding that _Bakka_, A-chan?"

"…No, I do not see Seele here."

"Uuuuu, how can searching for one _bakka_ be so hard – _desu_…Say, A-chan, what do those boards say?"

"…I am not sure."

"Eh?"

Ashlotte lowered her gaze, turning to Kami, "I do not have the ability to read."

"Hah?" Kami blinked, "you too?"

"Can you not read as well, Kami?"

"Uuuuu…I only know how to read a little in Japanese – _desu_. I can barely understand the language in this foreign country and I get dizzy from their readings. I'm just glad I'm using a special Oni language charm to automatically translate whatever you and _Bakka_ says – _desu_"

"…Pity…"

Kami twitched, puffing her checks and folding her arms with a pout. "W-well, Onis never went to school because we don't like it. I only know all the Hiragana so I could read the cartoon paintings back in my home country – _desu_!"

"…"

"…A-chan?"

"I wonder…if Seele knows how to read."

The question asked by Ashlotte took Kami by surprise. She literally stopped to think it over. The Oni-girl started to think back herself, only frowning.

"…Yeah, that _Bakka_ can read – _desu_…" Ashlotte watched Kami as the little girl shuffled on the spot, as if embarrassed, "_Bakka_ has always been reading the stupid maps and the stupid language every time we visit a town – _desu_. Plus, he can speak not only my language, but any language we know. People say that _Bakka_ is super smart, but I don't agree, never – _desu_!"

Ashlotte blinked, before turning back to stare at the signs once more. Kami peeked up at the Iron Maiden, curiosity getting the best of her.

"A-chan…Do you really want to read so badly?"

Ashlotte never answered, neither did she give any reaction. After a long pause, she automatically continued walking off to one direction.

"Heh? Ah! W-wait, A-chan, you didn't answer me _***BONK***_ — OW!" Kami stumbled back when she suddenly collided into Ashlotte's steel-hard back, whom came to a sudden halt. Angry, the Oni-girl stormed around to face off with the living doll, "Wh-what was that for, A-chan?-! That really, really hur—Heh?"

Ashlotte held up an index finger, levelling it right above Kami's head. The Oni-girl turned with curiosity, trying to pinpoint what caught Ashlotte's eyes.

Hello? Among the crowd there were two familiar faces the girl saw. Technically, they were not entirely familiar, but neither was she seeing them for the first time.

They were the two hulking bodyguards of that pirate captain, Vinius. It was weird to see them out in the open, when they were suppose to be in jail due to this morning's kidnapping/hostage-rescue incident. Kami was no law enforcer, but she knew they should not be at all free like this that quickly.

The hulks began to move, deeper into the throng of busy crowds. Without a word, Ashlotte stepped after them at a steady and passive pace. Curious, Kami followed Ashlotte.

"A-chan, aren't they the bad guys we beat up this morning – _desu_? Why are they not in jail?"

The hulks stopped, as if reacting to their words. Instinctively, Kami squeaked and pulled Ashlotte by the arm to hide behind a nearby vendor stall…only to pull too hard and popped off Ashlotte's arm altogether.

Kami's face went snow-white in an instant, while Ashlotte took a moment to notice her missing appendage. Fighting her urge to throw-up, Kami still dragged Ashlotte to hide with her, all the while earning silent stares from a few people on the doll-like arm the Oni-girl had in hand.

On cue, the hulks turned about. They felt they were followed. But as they were just pure muscles and next-to-no brain, they quickly shrugged the feeling off and continued on.

Under cover, Kami frantically tried to put Ashlotte's arm back in place, her stomach twisting with every second passing.

"I'm sorry, A-chan! I'm sorry – I'm sorry – I'm sorry – I'm sorry – I'm sorry – _desu~_!"

"Do not worry. The fault belongs to my original creators who did not properly build me in the first place, no you."

The Oni-girl could not figure out how to fix the situation. Luckily, Ashlotte gladly obliged by taking back her arm and tried to slip it back to its joint. Unlike her first encounter with Seele, she was fortunate to lock it back in place as it moved again.

"Wh-why do want to follow them – _desu_?"

Ashlotte turned about from her hiding place to eye the hulks in the distance.

"…I feel…Seele will be in danger."

Kami was taken aback, "R-really?" She too leaned out from her cover, keeping her eyes on Ashlotte's target as well. After a short pause to think things over, the Oni-girl nodded.

"In that case, let's go after them so we can find that big _Bakka_ – _desu_!"

[******]

The sound of chopping vegetables, sizzling fryer, and clutter of used pots thrown into sinks, all rang a semi-harmonic tune. Seele focused as he muttered under his breath.

"A touch of basil…diced garlic…grounded peppers. Now add in the slice meat…Cut up the green peppers and—"

"SEELE!"

Seele bolted on the spot, stopping his imaginary cutting with the side of his hand through the empty air. He snapped out of his thoughts and blinked to Lucia, doing all of the things he had recited out loud. Her hands gripped at a pan as she shook it to let its contents properly simmer. Strands of blonde hair fell loose around her face, but she ignored them.

"YOU ARE AN IMPOSSIBLE PERSON TO WORK WITH!"

A proud smile crossed Seele, "Oh, why thank you, I do like to do the impossible…" He realized the tone of Lucia's words and his smile flattened, "Wait…" Lucia rolled her eyes with a growl and continued to furiously cook.

"Why? Why did you make all the choices in what for _you_ to serve him? _Why?-!_"

"Ah-ha, yeah about that…You don't mind do you?"

"I don't mind in what I will make, but at least let me have an opinion beforehand…I hate being stuck with straight-forward work, without room to breath in creativity…"

"Ah…I see."

Seele stood where he was, doing absolutely nothing. He watched intently over Lucia's actions. Despite her tempered personality, he saw her spirit and tender side while she cooked. Gentle sprinkles of salt rained from her pinches as she circled her hand elegantly. She took a moment to taste the sauce, then thought it over by adding basil leaves. If Seele had seen this side of her at first, he thought, there was no way he would believe in the fiery reflection of Lucia. She blew away the steam from a ladle to taste it again, only to catch sight of Seele's stare.

"What?" she demanded sharply. Seele returned a faint smile and shook his head. Perplexed, Lucia continued, "You are a strange man, you know that?"

"That I do, Lucia, that I do…" nodded Seele. Lucia stared at him with confusion, but quickly ignored it when a nearby pot rattled at boiling point, "I've always known I was strange to others…always randomly spouting out words…my personality never staying the same…" Seele let out a deep sigh, "I always fear that I might be a burden to others…"

"A burden?"

Seele nodded as he turned to lean against a counter, staring at his reflection through its metal surface, "Yeah…But…" A smile crossed his lips, "I'm also happy…to have friends…"

Lucia stopped entirely. Her body was still as she fell silent. Slowly, she lowered her ladle to one side in the pot she was stirring, "Friends?"

Seele nodded, "Though I still have my problems, trying to find a solution to cure it…I met friends along the way. Sure, one may be easily tempered and the other is rather quiet…Nonetheless, I cherish them as my companions…" He straightened his back and turned to Lucia, "Don't you like that feeling, Lu…"

Tear drops fell onto the cold tiles of the kitchen floor. Seele heard them with a surprised glance. Lucia had her back to the stove, letting it quietly simmer the food. Her head hung forward and fists were curled. Her body, dressed in a waitress' uniform and cooking apron, shivered despite the swelling heat.

"Uh…Lucia?"

"Don't look or I'll smack you with a pan!" cried Lucia. Seele hesitated with concerned eyes. Complying, he turned his back on Lucia. She furiously wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "I don't know _*SNIFF*_ how long has it been _*SNIFF*_ since I had friends…" Her hands stopped moving, her tears free to trail down her face. She did everything she could to muster the strength to stop crying, but it ended up in vain. Seele lowered his gaze, his expression quiet.

"I think…I never had friends to begin with…" Lucia started to laugh, but sniffed from time to time, "Being so _*SNIFF*_ busy to pursue cooking…and protecting myself from wretched men. I forgot how to open myself up to others…" Lucia's arms dropped, in a hopeless dangle. A faint smile crept across her sullen face as tears dropped, "I'm…I'm pitiful…aren't I?"

Suddenly, Lucia was pulled into a warm and comforting embrace. To her shock it was Seele's offer. All sorts of curses and deadly remarks buzzed in her head; her fist facing a dilemma to either punch him or not.

"No…"

Lucia stopped. From that single word, the sound of raindrops falling on a misty morning, every ounce of her thoughts fled. All the pain and pressure held back from all her years crept up her spine, yet it felt comforting. It has been a while, thought Lucia, when she felt this free. Seele held onto Lucia tighter.

"You're not pitiful…Everyone is different and each has the right to live in their own separate ways." Lucia's eyes shimmered with surprise, her chin pressed against Seele's shoulder. Somehow she felt ashamed in wiping some of her tears on him, "Whatever your choices are, they are not your sins…but pieces that always add together to create your life and define your existence…" Seele chuckled, "You're just like me…I too am suffering with my problems, but have been unable to share them with others…"

Lucia felt a soothing grace radiating from Seele and his words. For some reason she felt that he was not a human, but a celestial being far greater than any angel. He smiled as he slowly pulls away from his embrace, staring into the girl's eyes.

"In this case…would you please share your sufferings with me? At least that way, we can feel a little better about ourselves."

"S…Seele?" breathed Lucia. The boy instantly pulled off his hands from Lucia's shoulders, a sheepish look on his face.

"S-sorry…I thought you needed a hug more than anything…" stuttered Seele, "My bad…"

Lucia cracked a shaky grin with a short chortle. She wiped away her tears, taking in deep and calm breaths. Finally, she recomposed herself; the same old, yet brand new, Lucia.

"Next time, warn me before you pull off something like that again…"

Seele sighed and gave a confident salute, "Aye-aye ma'am!" Lucia could not help a giggle as she patted her face to calm down. Seele noticed something, "Uh, Lucia…the pots' rattling. Is that a good sign?"

"…_SACRE BLEU_!" Lucia whirled around back to the stove and struggled to save several boiling pots and sizzling pans. Seele staggered back, with an apologetic look.

"Sorry," replied Seele, as he back stepped. Just when he approached the kitchen's double door in reverse, they sprung open. It smacked across Seele's spine and it sent him flying forward with a thud, "OOF!"

"Ah, _excuser moi_!"

Seele and Lucia's eyes widen when they recognized that tender voice. Seele bolted back up to his feet and Lucia spun around, struggling to tear off her apron.

"Ma-Mademoiselle Amy!" they hollered in sync.

Amy stood at one side of the kitchen doorway, with a blank and surprised look on her face. She also looked lost as she strode into the vast kitchen.

"Please, forgive me! I was looking for the restroom. Do you happen to know where it may be?"

Seele returned an innocent chuckle, "_Je ne sais pas_…"  
[I don't know]

"It's alright, Chef Seele, you can speak to me in English if that is what you prefer," giggled Amy. Lucia froze. Seele's laughter stopped, but his expression never slackened. From a chuckling air, he switched it into a cheerful grin.

"Actually, any language is fine with me," he answered. He then took a moment to sniff the air, "Ah, Lucia, that smell is getting stronger I think you should—" Lucia woke up from her stasis with a pale look. She started to elbow Seele's ribs, "Ow…Lucia can you – ow – hear me? The stove is – TOH!"

The last nudge struck deep into Seele's side. He staggered around and balanced himself against a nearby counter. Lucia shivered as she stared in wide eye fear at Amy. The girl simply giggled.

"You don't have to hide it, Mademoiselle Lucia, I won't say a word." With that, she pinched in front of the corner of her lips and invisibly zipped them.

"Y-You knew?-!"

"_Excuser moi_, but yes. I have a gift in figuring things out by looking at people's eyes. Chef Seele…I mean Monsieur Seele is here to support you, is he not?"

"Ha-hah," chuckled Seele while rubbing the back of his head, "looks like my eyes couldn't fool you, did they?"

"Actually, far from it," smiled Amy, "I couldn't help it, but I feel something special behind your gaze."

Seele stopped rubbing his head, his cheeks started to tinge red, "Re-really…Th-thanks…" Amy responded by lightly shaking her head.

"You're welcome…" she giggled. Amy gave a light gasp as a thought struck her, "Oh my! Papa must be waiting for me. _Excuser moi_ Monsieur Seele, Mademoiselle Lucia, I must go." Amy turned back towards the door and reached forward to push it open. Her fingers curl back and a smile stretched on her. She turned to look over her shoulder at Lucia, "I'll be waiting to try your cooking." With a wink, she pushed open the door and left. Lucia could not resist a blush to her cheeks. Quickly, she spun about to return in her battle against the stove – refusing to let Seele see her in such flustered state.

The said boy returned a short wave to a departing Amy, "Will do."

Lucia just ignored him, not knowing what to make of it. She had successfully rescued the pots, which were now ready to serve, but she hesitated. Seele noticed her silence.

"Something the matter? D-did we burn it?-!"

"_Non_…it's alright…" she then realized his last sentence and turned to him, "_We?_"

"Ah-hah-hah…again, my bad. Are you afraid?"

Lucia was taken aback by Seele's words. She turned away from him to hide her expression once more, "M…maybe…"

"This is the first time someone has critiqued your cooking…has it?"

"I've toiled around in this kitchen as nothing more than a lowly assistant and fetch-girl. They never really gave me a chance for something like this…"

Seele grinned and planted both hands on his waist, "Then what are you waiting for?"

"What?" asked Lucia, turning.

"It's just you and me running this restaurant…no one's here to stop you, and I sure won't intervene that's for certain." The boy chuckled, "So let's get out there and take our chances while it's still _hot_…pun unintended."

"…'_Pun unintended'_?" wondered Lucia.

Seele flinched and curled his grin in slight embarrassment, "As I mentioned before I am a tad bit strange. That's something you may learn…at a later date of…era…" He then broke into a nervous chuckle.

Lucia's expression softened, a smile cracking on her tired complexion. Then her exhaustion was swept under a rug, stepped over by newfound courage. This was her big moment. She felt nothing will stop her…as long as the strange Seele was by her side.

"Thank you, Seele." whispered Lucia.

Seele was surprised, but he smiled anyway, "You're very welcome, Lucia."

_**CLANG!**_ They both leapt on the spot at the sound of glass shattering. Seele bolted for the double door, as Lucia made sure the stove was put out. The boy carefully peered through the small round window, his expression instantly blank.

Lucia then went up behind him and tiptoed to look out the door's window too.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Oh you got to be kidding me…" muttered Seele, "Either he's insane or he just hates to quit."

[******]

Men with hulking muscles and weapon arms stormed into the dining hall of the restaurant. Tables were torn and upturned, glass dropped and fragmenting all over the stone floor. What once was a beautiful and luxurious chamber of a restaurant, was instantly transformed into an aftermath of a lowly bar-fight.

Raphael was already onto his feet, shielding Amy from the sight of the men as his maid and manservant flanked his sides. His glittering crimson eyes narrowed calmly onto the invading forces' leader, a short stubby man with a pirate cap with thick black boots.

"Former pirate captain Vinius, I presume," greeted Raphael.

Vinius' strides crunched across the glass laden floor. A small grin was etched on his rough face, his left eye narrowed with a black-hue, and he stopped before Raphael. Amy stood quietly behind her father, willingly hiding under Raphael's protection as told.

"Well, well, well. Mister Raphael, what a pleasant surprise. I was thinking that this place be packed with all sorts of rich landlubbers, filled to the brim with lovely trinkets and booty," Vinius' grin stretched even wider, "I never expected to only have you inside…I hope you brought enough gold to compensate for my sudden loss of profitable expectation."

"Oh, I assure you I have the wealth you are looking for," answered Raphael. A cold smirk ripped across his pale lips, crimson eyes glinting, "But unfortunately, it is not meant to be shared with such ludicrous miscreants, such as yourself."

Vinius flinched. His pirate men slowly took a step closer to their leader, then towards Raphael and Amy. His manservant instantly drew out a foldable scimitar, while the maiden swiftly pulled out a pair of kunai-daggers attached to her skirt covered legs. Without hesitation, the manservant made the first move and let out a loud cry at Vinius.

The captain merely cleared his throat, and a whole team of burly men dog-piled the manservant in a blink. The maid was about to back up her partner, but a ninja like pirate popped out behind her and knocked her out with a swift chop. Now it was just Raphael and Amy to fend for themselves.

"Relax, Amy," the father Sorel whispered to his daughter, "Just remember everything I have taught you and you'll be fine."

"Don't worry father," the young Sorel replied softly, "I'm a big girl now. I can protect you."

Raphael could not help a proud smile. The touching moment was quickly interrupted when that ninja-like pirate struck out…only to roll across the floor like a useless toy – dead. A slit unzipped itself across the dead attacker's throat, blood oozing right out. Stainless, the blade in Raphael's hand began to twirl, along with boots tapping to an unheard music.

Another younger pair of steps followed suit, dancing to an invisible rhythm when two pirates launched their attack. With a block and thrust, the two attackers stumbled to the ground to clutch their slashed arms and legs. As much as Amy wished to be as strong as her father, there was no way she could bring herself in coldly taking a life.

Another wave of pirates circled tightly around the pair, but they followed their pacing with majestic dance steps and skillful swordplay. One after another, the pirates were either knocked aside or killed without a single utterance. If this keeps up, the Sorels will win without a doubt. However…

"Hah!" Amy had defeated one pirate by stabbing him in the shin, but he abruptly stumbled into her. Now, she was separated from Raphael, "Papa!"

"Amy!" The French swordsman raced for his daughter, but more hordes of pirates got in the way. Impatient, he slit five throats open with a single slash, "Don't you dare stand in my way!"

Amy Sorel regained her footing, only to quickly block an blade from taking her life. She tried to keep her calm like her father said, relying on her years of training and experience Raphael gave her. Despite her next to elite skills, there was no way she could keep up with the numbers. A pirate dashed straight for her and she was ready for his assault.

"KYAAA~!" Instead of an attack…a flash of pepper struck her eyes. That pirate had secretly snagged a shaker of pepper and scattered it at her face. The poor girl screamed in agony, her sword dropping.

Raphael heard her…and his once ice-cold heart shattered into millions of pieces.

"AMY!"

The pirate let loose the killing blow, all with Vinius smiling.

_**WHAM!**_

Raphael gagged. Vinius face-faulted. Everyone in the room stopped. Together, they turned.

The pirate had utterly failed to finish off a paralyzed Amy. Instead, his entire body was plastered up against a wall. Also, there was a peculiar kick that buried his head deep inside.

"That, was _**the most **_lowest blow I've ever seen…"

Unable to bear the pain, Amy collapsed to her knees. She reached for her burning face, but another hand softly stopped her.

"M-my eyes…It hurts! It hurts!"

"…Then let's open them shall we?"

That hand suddenly covered the girl's injured eyes. Raphael was maddened with rage.

"UNHAND MY DAUGHTER YOU FILTHY—" The Frenchman fell silent when he was given a reassuring smile.

A flash of blue light filled the air, then quickly disappearing. Slowly, ever so slowly, the hand released Amy's face. And her eyes fluttered open to see the world again. The first thing she did after that, she turned to the one who helped her.

"…Chef Seele?"

Seele Rubilac grinned, tipping his chef hat in greeting, "_'Allo._"

"H…how did you—"

"Heh-heh. It's a secret."

Vinius snapped out of his stasis, "Y-Y-YOU?-!"

On cue, Seele's expression darkened, "Excuse me for a second, Mademoiselle Amy…"

"M-Monsieur Seele?"

"You," Seele stood before the stubby captain, arms folded and lips sneering, "Didn't I bust your stinking tail this morning. How in the world did you break out of jail so quickly? Deux ex machinima?"

Vinius tried to sputter a response. Half of what the boy was saying was just pure jargon that flew over his head, "W-we're pirates! It's only obvious that we would have a trump card to escape in case we get caught!"

"…Yep, deux ex machinima," Seele nodded. He sighed, "Look, Vinnie—"

"VINIUS!"

"Whatever. I'm no precog, but I definitely know your butt will be handed right back to you if this keeps up. As well, I had a long hard day, okay? I finally got a chance to relax with some cooking…until you come here spoiling everything for me. So, here's your options…" Seele held up one finger, "Run away as far as you can from me before my mood takes a turn for the worse…"

Amy and Raphael could only stare, not being able to catch up with this boy's pace.

"…And the other?" muttered the captain on a dare.

"…Actually, that's the only option. Now, please answer the question with _'Yes'_ or _'Okay'_."

"…N—"

A stomp hit the floor, flicking up a certain plank like catapult. On the firing end was none other than Vinius. With a maddened holler, he was shot into the ceiling…and stayed there. The pirates stared up, before down onto Seele, who still had his arms folded and arms closed while picking up his leg back from a see-saw plank.

"Wrong answer."

"Eh-eh-eh-ERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Losing his sanity, a pirate struck out at the boy from behind.

_**KONG!**_

…Only to have his face imprinted into a thick iron frying pan. It popped off his face, his mouth missing more than a tooth, and he was fiercely kicked over. Seele only grinned without needing to turn.

"Thanks for the support, Lucia."

"Honestly, what was that all about?" Lucia spun about, single-handedly deflecting another slash and followed up with another smack to a pirate's face.

Seele recalled the words he spouted out, and he gave up with a sigh, "Again…I had a long hard day…" Raphael had cleared the way to reach for Amy, and that was when Seele turned to them. "Mind if I join you? I'm in dire need to beat these bozos back to kingdom come."

Raphael locked eyes with him, as if trying to read out more of his character. A chuckle spread his cold lips in to a smile, "Be our guest."

The boy had an ecstatic grin as he pulled out a familiar crystal needle with arrow-heads on their tips, "Then I'd better match the occasion – _AZURE_! **NEXT SHIFT-EVOLUTION**!" The crystal was crushed into glimmering dust, only to magically reassemble back together. The light weaved itself together to forge an elegant and long-edged rapier, sporting a magnificently crafted bell-guard. Seele brought it up, thirsty for mayhem.

"Allow me to personally introduce you guys to _Topaz_!"

The pirates broke out into a wild assault. Even though they were without their leader, they were far from beaten. Boy, were they wrong.

Corpses dropped and bodies flew without mercy. One after another, they were swiftly felled under the fury of the four bladers (technically three bladers and one fry-panner).

"No escape!" Raphael dodged every surprise attack thrown at him in a dance, playing around with his enemies. He easily deflected one blow after another, letting them glance off and kill their allies as result. If one did not know better, it was as if the Frenchman was enjoying himself.

"_En garde_!" Amy kicked up her sword to catch it in the air, quickly disarming an attacker. The speed she possessed was unmatched, weaving under biting slashes to counter a stab at her enemies' weak points. She still refused to kill, but that does not mean she would not let them off unscathed.

"STUPID – UGLY – MEN!" Lucia fiercely batted one pirate down after another, muttering with each heave. One attack took her by surprise, knocking her frying pan out. The pirate lunged at her, but she quickly stole an epee holstered to his belt and killed him instead. In a fencer's stance, Lucia was ready to unleash the years of hatred for men on this pitiful criminals.

"Ha-ha! Come on – come on – COME ON!" Seele swiped his blade, the force of his attack sending pirates fly by the handful. Not only did he hack them to pieces with the crystal rapier, _Topaz_, but he punched, kicked, tackled, stomped, tossed, headlocked, neck-chopped, tripped, hurled, and anything else the boy could think of in taking down everyone in sight.

In almost no time at all, every one of Vinius's men were either laying dead or paralyzed across the restaurant floor.

Seele backed up into Amy with a smirk, hefting _Topaz_ across his shoulder. He gave the girl a friendly nudge and said, "Heh, record time."

Though she had no clue what he meant, she just smile and nodded.

"W…was that all of them?" panted Lucia wiping the sweat from her brow.

"…I don't think so." Everyone glanced at Raphael, who was staring up. Knowing they will never get what he meant, he pointed upwards for them.

The ceiling – which was supposed to hold a certain half-buried pirate captain inside – was empty. Before Seele could say a word, a familiar and tattered chuckle got their attention.

Vinius rose up from the (semi)dead, popping out of a burial of splintered tables, clothe, and glass. During the entire fight, the pirate captain was able to free himself and tried to run away, but end up getting trapped under flying debris. Now, he was standing at his full height, clothes nothing but torn rags, body all cut up, and his peg leg utterly destroyed. Ignoring a nasty bump across the top of his head, he smiled a sinister smile.

Raphael sighed as he combed his hair back, "Please don't tell me you want another match…Hmm?"

Something was held up in Vinius' hand. It was something like a stick, with cylindrical mallet-head, and also bore a short dangling string on the end. No one knew what it was exactly…except for a wide-eye Seele.

"Have ye forgotten, ye wretched landlubber? We pirates always have a trump card up our sleeves in times like this!" Vinius gripped the string, pulling at it, "So, say ye pray—"

"HAND GRENADE! GET DOWN!"

Before they knew it, Lucia and Amy were tucked under a pair of arms and they both were pulled to the ground in a crouch. A sudden tension filled the atmosphere, a tension of waiting for the worst. After several ticks of a clock however…nothing special happened.

Annoyed/Curious, the two girls stared at Seele who was in between them. His eyes were shut until he felt their stare, slowly blinking them open. The boy glimpsed around, seeing everything still in place the way it was a second ago. Seele was the first to break the silence.

"Wait a second, that ain't right. German steel hand grenades weren't made until after World War…One…" Remembering where he was, Seele gained a queasy look.

"…World War…One?" uttered Lucia, lost.

"…Seriously," muttered Vinius, mid-way in pulling the cord, "what is wrong with ye lad?"

The boy collapsed entirely across the floor – forehead first like a facepalm – utterly exhausted. Lucia perked an eyebrow at the sight.

"M…Monsieur Seele," called Amy, who poked at him, "Are you…alright?"

"Mental note: kill self…"

Vinius lost all patience. He yanked the cord clean, a faint trail of incense-like smoke leaking from the base of the cylindrical mallet-head.

"Like it matters. Ye misfits are all gonna die here, whether ye like it or not."

With a crooked grin, the man aimed the stick towards a nearby and large window. The mallet-head broke off the stick with a flash of burning red, soon flying off like a smoke-propelled rocket. Turned out the 'grenade' was nothing more than a flare signal.

And such flare signal only meant one thing: reinforcement. Who would have thought this tattered old pirate even had so many men to put to waste.

The window shattered…but it was not by the rocket, but by a hand – a grey skinned hand. It caught the wild rock within its grasp, the same way one would catch a softball. It took Vinius a full minute to realize what happened, before his jaw dropped.

Standing on the other side of the broken-window threshold, stood none other than the Iron Maiden, Ashlotte. Her yellow eyes blinked as the crazy mini-rocket struggled in her hand, only going dead still with a sick puff.

"You have lost. There is no longer a reason to resist anymore."

"…Ha?" Vinius, whose jaw was hanging the entire time, caught sight of another figure approaching the living doll's side.

It was small, easily tempered, and carried a steel spiked club that was twice its size.

Kami gave a tired sigh as she combed back a few strands of her loose hair from her forehead.

"I'm all done, A-chan. Have you found _Bakka_…What's that you're holding – _desu_?"

Ashlotte crushed the dead rocket with her hand, turning it to dust, "Nothing special…"

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-YE TWO MONSTERS AGAIN?-!"

Though Raphael was just as stunned, he could not help giving the flabbergasted Vinius a cold smirk, "I guess this is checkmate for you, dear Vinius."

"T-TO DAVY JONE'S LOCKER WITH THAT! I still got a hundred more of me men waitin' right outside to tear ye all limb from ruddy limb! HOW CAN I POSSIBLY LOSE?-!"

The ex-captain's roar shook the entire restaurant, utensils and glass clattering. Still, Kami and Ashlotte just stared at him. The next thing they did, was standing apart from one another…and reveal what was hiding behind them like an unveiling curtain.

One could have sworn Vinius' jaw hit the floor.

The entire street outside the restaurant was covered in nothing but bodies. Half-dead, on the verge of death, or just plain unconscious, they were lying about all over the place (through walls, in barrels, on carts, all the like) as if a storm had torn through them. Coincidentally, they were Vinius' trump card.

"So, Vinnie…"

The ex-captain jumped on the spot. Cautiously, he turned about to face a familiar young man – who once again stands victorious before him with folded arms and a haughty smirk.

"Any last words?"

Raphael, Amy, Lucia, Ashlotte, and Kami gathered around – literally entrapping Vinius within their circle of angry glares. The pitiful man just stared at the young man, unable to resist in wasting his last moments.

"Just…who exactly are ye, boy?"

"Heh-heh. Who else? The one and only Seele Rubilac."

[******]

The carriage's barred doors slammed shut onto Vinius' face, locking him up – along with his 70+ men in the same carriage. With a mixture of confusion and bottled rage, he was carried away by the king's men to an unknown end under the falling sun. And that was the last anyone will ever hear about the formerly-dreaded Captain Vinius.

All the while, Seele was waving his goodbye to them until they disappeared from his sights.

"Good – riddance." He turned about on the spot, exhausted as he rubbed his sore neck, "Now, where were we…ah, yeah."

Standing in front of him was the real cook in maid's clothing, Lucia, the food critic of tonight's menu, Raphael Sorel, and the critic's daughter, Amy Sorel. With the Iron Maiden, Ashlotte, by his side he let out a tired breath

"That was definitely an evening gone to waste…"

"I could not agree more," Raphael answered, nonchalantly brushing the loose dust from his sleeve.

"Well, Lucia?"

"…E-eh?"

Seele glanced at the cook, "After a good brawl like that, I'd say Mr. Raphael has _worked up quite an appetite_…right?"

"…You're being weird again…"

"…" Seele straightened himself and approached both Raphael and Amy, who were curious of his move, "Monsieur and Madamoiselle Sorel…I hate to break it you, but I'm not your cook for tonight's dinner…Which Amy here knew already…"

Raphael raised an eyebrow, before glancing at Amy. The young girl playfully stuck her tongue out in a cute apology.

Seele wrapped an arm around Lucia's shoulder, putting all focus onto the girl.

"The real cook is her, little miss Lucia."

"…WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU _IMBE_—"

"—Save it!" Now, Seele shoved her right out to stand before Raphael and Amy, "You may think it's weird in having a girl as a head chef of a restaurant like this. But let me tell you, she's been working her butt off to prepare the nicest dinner she can come up with the moment you set foot in here."

There was a long and awkward silence between the two groups, the Sorels and the makeshift Lucia-Seele duo. In between, Ashlotte passively eyed them both and kept her silence. Seele took in a deep breath to add one more thing.

"Whether or not you agree to Lucia being any kind of chef at all…at least try some of her food, will ya?"

Lucia was too stunned to do anything. She was drifting between wanting to kill Seele for back-stabbing her…yet was also anxious to hear Raphael's reply. All she could do was just stand there like a statue – a sweating one.

Amy stood her ground, her supportive answer made clear. Raphael's answer…was ambiguous as the expression on his face.

"…You…were our chef tonight?"

"…O…_oui_…"

"…Intriguing…" Raphael grinned, an exact replica to that of a thirsty vampire, "I shall."

Lucia snapped awake, as if she was dreaming the entire time, "Y-you will?-!"

"Of course. But I do wish to make myself clear to both you and Monsieur Seele." Raphael took a step closer, almost toe to toe with Lucia while Seele balanced her from behind – secretly grinning, "I have absolutely no quarrel against women training to be professional chefs. In fact I plan on sending my dear Amy to a Catholic academy back in France, where they are beginning to train young women to be part of the overall working force, especially as professional chefs…Out of curiosity, Mademoiselle Lucia, do I look like the sort of person who oppose women pursuing their dreams?"

"Well, technically, she thinks all guys—"

Lucia instinctively stomped a heel into Seele's toe to shut him up. With great effect, he was curled up in a gloomy ball to quietly sulk over his consequences.

"N-_non_! Not at all!" Lucia squeaked, unable to keep her excited voice steady, "P-please, come this way!"

Fully exhilarated, Lucia quickly showed Raphael and Amy the way towards the kitchen. Lucia's lips kept twitching into a smile, but she did her best to act professional and struggled to keep her emotions in check. All the while, Amy could not help a smile of her own.

Seele bit his lower lip so hard, he could be tasting blood any moment now. That was when a certain someone came over to crouch by his side.

"A…Ashlotte?"

The Iron Maiden stared at him with her yellow eyes for a moment. Though they bore no emotion, which would easily creep out other people, Seele looked back at her like a curious friend.

"Is this where you have been the entire time, Seele?"

"Y-yeah…I was suppose to meet up with you and Kami later, but that cook girl, Lucia, kinda dragged me into all this…Sorry if I made you worried…"

Ashlotte shook her head, "Do not be concerned, Seele. I only wanted to check where you were."

"…Is that so?" Seele chuckled, before putting a hand on her shoulder. The girl paused to glance at his gesture, not knowing what to make of it. Still, there was a strange sensation inside her like before. "Thanks for taking the time to check up on me, Ashlotte."

"…You are wel—"

"_MON DIEU!_"  
(MY GOD!)

Silence…then Seele instantly burst into the kitchen with Ashlotte right on his heels.

"What?-! What?-! What?-! More pirates?-!"

In the tattered kitchen, Seele found Lucia, Raphael, and Amy, all in one piece. The only awkward thing was how dumbstruck they look. The boy went up to Lucia, whose mouth was hanging wide open with a pale face. Just before he could tap her shoulder to get her attention, her trembling finger pointed forward. He did…going pale himself.

It was a rat eating up all the food. Actually, it was an Oni-girl devouring every piece of food there was that made up Raphael and Amy's dinner.

Kami gulped the last piece of roasted chicken that was as big as a fist in a single chomp. After a hard swallow, she finished everything with a burp of content.

"Haaa…So fuuull – _desu_~" She hummed, clasping her hands together, "_Gochisousa_—"

_**WHAAAAM!**_

A fist crushed the Oni-girl by the head, squishing her entire height like an accordion. Next thing Kami knew, she was twitching across the floor with a giant bump, as big as that last piece of chicken she had, swelling across her head. Courtesy of a ticked off Seele.

"_BAKKA_! WHAT DID YOU HIT ME FOR – _DESU_?-!"

"DON'T _**'DESU'**_ ME, YA STINKING BRAT! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA GOING OFF EATING OTHER'S FOOD LIKE THAT?-!"

"I WAS HUNGRY!"

"NEWS FLASH: WORST – EXCUSE – _**EVER!**_" Seele spun about, his temper instantly evaporated with an exhausted, but apologetic atmosphere, "…I…am _so_ sorry…"

Lucia stood there, speechless. The female cook felt like she wanted to cry, seeing how all her hard work was sitting in the bottom of the Oni-girl's stomach.

Raphael, however, smiled.

"That's alright. I would prefer if I were able to fully try out Mademoiselle Lucia's cooking in a more peaceful setting, wouldn't you agree Amy?"

"Of course, papa. Why whenever you're this grumpy, you'll make anyone you criticize cry and quit their jobs. I would really like it if papa did not make Mademoiselle Lucia cry as well."

"…Amy…"

Raphael's young daughter was unable to stifle a cute giggle, causing her father to give a small smile as well.

"Ooooooh…my head…Heh?-! I-it's over?-!"

"You're late." Raphael's tone went from doting father to head of the manor when he noticed his manservant and maid standing to their feet. They had just woken up from recent ambush by the pirates, trying to get their bearings as they saw the chaos around them. "To think I hired you two for a reason. Your duty was to protect the young mistress with your lives, not fall asleep whenever trouble occurs."

"W-we're so sorry, Master Raphael! Pl-please forgive us!" sputtered the maid, forcing her servant-companion to bow with her.

Raphael wanted to give them more than good tongue lashing. His fire was instantly quelled when he felt Amy softly pat his arm. With that, he dropped the subject with a nod to her – and a huff to his vassals.

"We're leaving. If you wish to continue serving under me, keep up."

"Y-YES SIR!" Still a bit shocked and shaken, the two servants stuck to their Master and Mistress like glue from then on.

The four members of the Sorel group then left the restaurant, all waved good-by by a certain fake chef.

"See ya around," Seele chuckled. Kami pouted when he suddenly propped an elbow across her head, leaning sideways on her like some balcony railing, "Look's like that's a wrap…"

It was not, actually. No sooner did Seele finish his sentence, a familiar figure came panting at the restaurant's doorway again.

"Eh? Amy, what are you—"

"_Excuser moi_, but I almost forgot something."

"…Forget wha—"

Interrupting once again, a kiss touched the boy's cheek. It was soft. It was warm. It belonged to Amy. The young Sorel rested her hands on Seele's shoulder for support, tip-toed to match his height.

Kami choked on whatever food she had left in her throat. Lucia's blood curdled and began to build up across her reddening cheeks.

Amy pulled away, eyes locking with a stunned Seele.

"_Merci beacoup_, Monsieur Seele, for saving my life. I am forever in your debt."

"…H-hah?"

The girl strode away, her steps a bit giddy from the deed she herself had done. Reaching for the door, she turned to give her savior an angel's smile…and vanished under the bright dusking sunlight.

Seele remained frozen, his face without any expression. His hand subconscious touched his cheek, his fingers landing around a pair of lipstick markings that glistened like miniature jewels. The boy involuntarily gulped, his face now becoming red.

"…,…,…U-uh…Thank you?"

"She's gone, _Bakka_."

"G-geh! I-I knew that…kind of…"

"'_Thank you?'_…Tch, you really are an imbecille."

"Hey, now listen here miss I've-Got-No-Guts-To-Cook-Without-A-Guy-Around! Who was it that chipped in a good word for you, huh? Do you have any idea—"

"Seele…"

"Yeah?"

A huge black aura of pure killing intent and unknown rage blazed around a certain Iron Maiden. Under the shadows across her face, her yellow eyes pierced through the darkness and right at the boy. Kami recoiled, instantly ducking behind Lucia, who had no clue in what reaction to provide. Seele was just oblivious.

"A…Ashlotte? What's the matter? Oh, don't tell me you got hurt in the fight! Are you damaged? Tell me, is there anything broken on you? Don't just stare at me like that, say something!"

"…Who was she?"

"…Eh?"

_**BOOM!**_

"WHOA~!" What happened next involved a particular young man being shot out through the walls of the restaurant to crash into another building across the street. Buried alive, Seele popped out his head from the rubble with a big swelling bruise growing from his skull, "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR, ASHLOTTE?-!"

Ashlotte remained standing at the same position she had always been standing, only holding a hand out as if she had just pushed someone over; _'as if'_.

"…I was worried—"

"—WORRIED THAT I WOULD DIVE THROUGH A WALL JUST FOR FUN?-!"

"No. I was worried that the spider on your chest will jump and bite you in the neck, possibly poisoning you to death. All I did was killed it, no more no less."

"LIAR!"

Seele was suddenly hauled out of the rock pile by Ashlotte, who gripped him in the back of his collar. The Iron Maiden then marched off, dragging the young man in a painful tow.

"If we do not leave this town before the sun sets, we will get lost in the forest. So let us make haste in our departure."

"H-HEY!— OW — QUIT IT, ASH— GAH! KAMI! GET MY CLOTHES, WE'RE LEAVING – YEOW!"

Flustered, Kami immediately bolted into the nearby kitchen, tearing through everything until she found things that looked like Seele would normally wear. Quickly, she darted after Ashlotte before more chaos broke loose.

All the while, Lucia watched in silence. She took a moment to look around her, taking in all the broken tables, glass, and furniture of the restaurant she once worked at. Actually, that was a lie: she was treated as a slave during her time here, so it cannot be considered at all a decent work. There was one half of her that was laughing in triumph that such wretched place was in ruins…but the other side…

"Wait…Wait for a second…_Sacre bleu_, I SAID WAIT FOR ME!"

Seele perked his head up, "Huh?"

_***Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii* — *WHAM!***_

"MMMMMMMMMMMMM~MMMMMMMMMMMMM~!"

A large flying briefcase appeared out of nowhere and smashed into Seele's face, muffling his scream altogether. Kami jumped to a stop, while Ashlotte paused to look over her shoulder.

Lucia was right behind them, teeth barred, eyes narrowed, and ready to take on the world if she wanted to. The briefcase of hers was well packed with everything she needed in case she got fed up with her original life and wanted to head out on her own. It had been gutlessly sitting in a closet for a couple of years…now, its purpose was put to good use. She gave in to the desire within her heart, and yelled out:

"Wherever you're going, take me along as well!"

"MMMM?-!" Seele shoved the briefcase off his face to repeat, "WHAT?-!"

"I don't want to wash dishes anymore! I don't want to be ordered around by those pigs called men from day in to day out! I don't want to be locked up in this prison of a town any longer! I had it with that waste of a life!"

"…"

"I…I only want to be free. I want to make my own choices. I want to learn things that I can never learn while staying in this dump! I…really want to cook things the way I want it to be."

Lucia took in a deep breath, "Wherever you're going, whether it be the next town, state, or nation, you're taking me there too. You're going to show me…the world I've been longing to see."

"…Done."

"I don't want your opinion, I just want your…Heh?"

Lucia lost her train of thought, thanks to the smile on Seele's bruised face.

"Welcome aboard to the _S.S._ _Whatever-It's-Gonna-Be-Called_, Luci. You're gonna love the trouble we get ourselves into."

"…It's _Lucia_." The girl hesitated before continuing, "You're actually agreeing to all this?"

Kami sighed, "It's just _Bakka_ being a _bakka_ – _desu_." Seele threw a glare at her, while the latter looked away with a cat-like smirk.

"No matter how you look at it, the answer is blatantly simple. ONE: no matter what, you're still gonna tag along even if I were to hate your guts – which I do thanks to that brick-in-the-face you'd just pulled; TWO: I saw how you kick butt, and I like it. Therefore, the more help, equals the merrier the fighting in the future – a brilliant deduction made by a brilliant man, of course; and THREE…well, the only problem in this decision is that I have to worry about feeding five mouths from now on."

"…Five?"

"Admit it, Kami. You already account for 3.5 mouths while Ashlotte and I are stuck with the remainder. So quit denying ya big glutton."

The Oni-girl's cheeks flared beet-crimson, "S-SHUT UP – _DESU_!"

Seele shrugged, ending his explanation.

Lucia just stared at him, as if he had fallen from outer space. Despite her reaction…a warm sensation touched her heart. Blinking out the coming tears, she kept on her hard and proud face.

"You really are just an _imbecille_…aren't you?"

"…A~nd my hopes for a simple 'thank you' is shattered…" Though Seele said that, he knew deep down in his own heart…that was really a simple 'thank you' in Lucia's language. "Oh, and one condition: you're in charge of all the cook—HEY!"

The hand that hung Seele released him, letting him drop entirely across the dirt road.

"NOW WHAT?-!"

Kami began to shiver as she slowly took several steps back from what she was seeing. The killer-black aura had returned, this time burning even fiercer than ever before.

"Seele, there is a scorpion on the face. Allow me to exterminate it for you."

Ashlotte raised her boot over Seele's head, enough said.

"Wh-whoa, whoa, Ashlotte! Hold it! What scorpion, I've got nothing on my – WAIT! STOP! _**ASHLOOOOOOOO~OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~OOOOOOOOO~OOOOOOOOOO~OOOOTTE!**_"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

**Amy Sorel:** Raphael Sorel's adopted daughter and recent addition to the _**Soul Calibur**_ champion roster, fully playable in _**Soul Calibur III**_ and _**Soul Calibur IV**_ (as well as _**Broken Destiny**_). Her fighting style is based off from Raphael's, but due to her petite frame she is much faster and nimbler to almost be considered untouchable in combat. Her primary weapon is also a rapier, dubbed _Albion_.

[++++++++]

"_To the devoted readers of the fanfiction _Soul Calibur: Soul Resonance:_  
Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to do my best _(^_^)_!-!"_

**~Emerald Sonata~**


	10. Knight of the Republic

_**All non-original Characters/Setting/Weapons will be tagged with '*' and will receive a proper sourcing.  
This is based from the famous sword-fighting game **_**"Soul Calibur IV"**_** by **_**NAMCO**_** and **_**Bandai**_**.**_

_**Elements and information of **_**"Star Wars"**_** are owned by George Lucas and **_**LucasFilm**_** (**_**Disney**_**). **_

* * *

**{ Soul Calibur IV: Soul Resonance }  
**[Chapter 9: Knight of the Republic]

Space; a vast sea of pure emptiness. Other than the glimmers of distant stars, specks of cosmic dust, and a massive floating planet of a certain blue, green, and white, there was nothing else. No air. No nature. No life.

But that did not mean it was entirely alone…

A shining scar tore through the fabrics of time and space. A craft was spat out from the rip and it zipped through the nothingness. The armor it bore was heavily damaged and next to irreparable, trailing smoke in its wake.

It was some sort of flying arrowhead, coated in red and white colors. There was a bubble-shaped canopy near the rear of the arrowhead, and in front of the canopy was some kind of…bulb-headed thing.

"_*Bwurp* - *Bwurp* - *Bwurp*! *Whistle*~!"_

"It's going to be alright, R1. Just stay calm and increase power to the engines. We're going to pull through."

The pilot of the arrowhead kept a cool and level-headed attitude, hands on the strange controls of a whole different form of technology. The bulb-thing twittered its head left and right with blinking lights, uttering an incoherent machine language that only the pilot knew.

"E-eh? Wh-what do you mean 'you don't know where we are'? Don't tell me that you jumped us into another random star system again?"

The bulb-thing stopped dreading, instantly snapping an angry look at the pilot which made him recoil.

"_*Blurp* - *Blurp*!"_

"N-no, of course not R1! I do agree that there are times where your sense of direction is extremely poor, but I didn't mean you were completely useless or anything."

"_***BLU~RP*!**__"_

The pilot could not understand why the little bulbous machine was so angry. Did he hit a nerve – er, circuit? Either way, he will never be able to figure it out under such situation. Before he could innocently correct whatever wrong he said…a strong feeling crept up his spine.

"_*UU'WOOOOOOO~OOOOOOOO~OOOOOOOOOOO~OOOOOOW*!"_

"Hang on, R1!"

The arrowhead suddenly broke into a steep dive. It narrowly avoided a hailstorm of red laser bolts in time – as if it had knew the attempt beforehand. The craft drove itself into a descending spiral, avoiding more laser fire that was hot on its tail. All the while, the little machine was screaming like its life depended on it.

'_[Yo'ho~]'_

The voice that echoed inside the cockpit made the pilot grimace. With a glare, he glanced over his shoulder to spot out the source of the enemy attack.

Screeching right out of the dimensional rift was a metal bat, right before the rift imploded out of existence. It was not exactly a metal bat, but another craft similar to the arrowhead in size and agility. The shape was different, bearing claw-like wings joined to a small cockpit/fuselage in reverse order, and its skin was chromium black.

The voice returned with an eerily calm and light-hearted chime, the pilot recognizing it belonging to the bat's master.

'_[I'm quite surprise you're still alive. Hm-hm, looks like I'll just have to try harder in killing you.]'_

The bat instantly swooped in over the fleeing arrowhead, launching a pair of burning orange spears into the empty void; space-grade torpedoes.

"_*BWEEP* - *BWEEP* - *BWEEP*!"_

"I know, they're catching up."

Indeed, for the torpedoes were right at his heels – ready to tear him, the bulbous machine, and the craft into absolute oblivion. However, his inhuman reflexes were much faster.

At first the craft swept down to let the torpedoes follow – a pure feint. With a few twists of the control, the arrowhead 'back-flipped' on the spot to let the torpedoes zip right 'under' the churning craft, barely scraping against the fragile canopy. Up-righting itself, the craft sprayed blue laser fire of its own at the two torpedoes and their explosion swallowed him in bright light.

The bat fluttered to a slow drift, watching from afar the chaos it had unleashed. Though it had stopped its engine, its master knew it was not at all over. Actually, he was smiling in anticipation of what was about to happen next.

A howl sliced the frozen smoke clouds apart, launching the arrowhead straight at its opponent, full speed ahead. The bat too adjusted its angle with miniature jet propulsions, before blasting off to dive straight for its incoming prey.

The two unleashed a hailstorm of blue and red lasers at each other, literally engulfing them in hues of crimson and azure.

The arrowhead pilot pushed on his controls with all his might, "TARUMAAAAA~AAAAA!"

The bat pilot widened his sinister smile with a cool air, "Farewell…my dear friend."

The two craft crossed with a screech – swordsmen trading their final blows.

…,…,…The results were clear.

"_*BLEEEEE~EEEEEP*!"_

_***BAM!***_

"R1!" Right before the arrowhead pilot's eyes, the bulbous machine was blown to smithereens. Next to follow were several pockets of explosions peppering the armor of his craft. Finally, the engines shredded themselves apart with a mighty blast. "AAAH!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha…" The bat gently decreased its speed from ramming to slow walk, allowing its master to sit back and enjoy the arrowhead's burning spectacle. He chuckled, watching the growing fire that danced across the red and white craft, "My sincerest apologies but…I win."

One or two tiny sparks twitched across the bat's console, catching its master's attention.

"Hmm?"

_***BOOM!***_

The bat instantly exploded into a fiery mass, turning into blazing dust that vanished into the dark void.

The arrowhead grew a mind of its own, suddenly going into an insane dive downward. It whipped about so intensely, it forced its owner to hit his head across the canopy and pass out.

Slowly, the ship kept drifting and drifting…edging closer towards a certain planet of blue, white, and green to eventually be captured by the hands of gravity.

[******]

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…You know Lucia, mushroom soup would have been a better choice."

"SHUT UP, YOU _IMBECILLE_!"

Lucia was in a crouch across the grassy ground, holding onto something in deep hesitation. It was next to the dead of the night, the sky all pitched black and filled with stars. In the middle of the forest she was in, an open fire alive behind her, she held onto what was planned to be the night's dinner.

The white bunny in her hand just stared back in absolute dread.

This battle of silence and awkward pause has been going on ever since Lucia had finally caught the little creature – which approximately counted would be over 5 hours.

Standing right behind her was Seele Rubilac, arms folded and glancing down at her with an expression saying _'what are you going to do now?'_.

"…I don't want to rush you or anything, but we're starving."

Lucia bolted to her feet, dangling the quivering bunny with her by the ears.

"I'M A COOK! NOT AN OVERGROWN BUTCHER!" Lucia's scream was so powerful, it not only sent Seele teetering back and forth with a straight face, but the bunny was so glad her grip was blocking its hearing. Without warning, it was shoved right into Seele's chest with a toy-like squeak, "YOU DO IT!"

Seele just shoved the creature right back at Lucia with an equal toy-squeak.

"No – way – _Jo – se_ – am I going to skin the poor guy alive. I'm no vegetarian, but I definitely prefer eating my meat already dead!"

"Then do something!"

"Like I said: mushroom soup or anything!"

_***Grrrrrrrrrrrr*~**_

The two stopped their bickering. Along with the curious bunny, they turned to the source of the grumbling.

"Uuuuu…So hungry – _desu~_…"

Kamikirimusi, or Kami for short, was sitting across a small boulder, hugging her stomach and curled up into a tiny ball.

The poor Oni-girl had not eaten anything the entire day. It was no understatement as well, as the town they landed in earlier got them into some trouble – thanks to Lucia slapping the boss of a local gang because he was harassing her; and Seele cleaning their clocks just for fun and recreation. She was promised breakfast the first thing they had arrived to that town – which was the moment the incident occurred – and was promised again to get something good to eat in the next town. Unfortunately for her, the bridge that led to the nearest next town was destroyed by bandits. In other words, she was starving beyond anyone's possible imagination – period.

If Kami had not been holding on the entire time, she would have passed out on the floor some hours ago.

"When can I eat?"

"WHEN IT'S READY!" both Seele and Lucia cried back.

Kami groaned, stamping her tiny feet across the dirt. That was when a certain grey-skinned hand passed something in front of her.

"Here, Kami, try this."

Without thinking, the girl swiped it into her mouth and chew. It was hard, chewy, and had a smoky taste to it.

"_*Munch-munch*_ Thanks, A-chan! I thought I was going to die with an empty-stomach…What is it by the way?"

The Iron Maiden, Ashlotte Maedel, turned to her little friend with a passive and yellow-eyed stare – a living doll.

"Wood."

"…"

Ashlotte held aloft a large strip of thick bark from the fallen oak log she was sitting across – exposing an equal size bare patch. The top tip of it was dipped into the open fire in front of her, as if she was roasting something. Actually, she was roasting the bark itself.

"I have heard that wood is rather edible in times like these. But to be sure that it does not carry any form of insects inside, I took the liberty to sort it through the fire. Is it any good, Kami?"

Kami had stopped chewing long ago, staring at the expressionless Ashlotte. After a beat or two, Kami swallowed with a short hiccup.

"I guess it's better than nothing…_desu_…Aren't you going to have any, A-chan?"

"…As I do not require any food to survive, I will pass."

"…Okay – _desu_."

Ashlotte candidly broke another piece of charred wood for Kami, who kept on eating it as she had no other choice to appease her rumbling stomach. In silence, she looked on ahead to continue watching Seele and Lucia bicker.

"For the last time, you _imbecille_! I am not making mushroom soup! Those pigs for men they call chefs always made me do nothing but cook soup day in day out! I'm sick of it and even thinking about it makes me want to hit you! So that's why we're cooking this rabbit whether you like it or not! _Comprendre_?!"

"FYI – which means 'for your information' – that little guy is a 'bunny'! B: for crying out loud, mushroom soup was just a suggestion – you can make anything you want, but do it fast, else Kami and/or I will start a mutiny on you! Three: I have no problem in eating meat, but there is no way – on Earth – am I going to kill it for you! Ever heard of the saying _'those who are prepared to shoot, should be shot back'_?-! Be responsible for your own actions – Miss Chef!"

"Those are the most stupid reasons coming from the most stupidest person I have ever met! Why would I, at all, have seen anything good in following the likes of you?-! I should have moved back to France when I had the chance, but thanks to you I'm lost in the middle of Europe! All in all, you should be taking responsibility for dragging me into all this mess – so you do the butchering!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Lucia recoiled, along with the bunny. Kami choked on the piece of bark she was eating and forcefully swallowed it. Ashlotte just stared without emotions. Seele was ravaging his dark-cyan hair for all its worth, steam literally fuming from his skull. "Of all the rotten luck in being alive, why do I have to put up with people like you?-!"

Unable to take the stress, Seele started to stamp around the camp fire. If anyone had not known better, it looked like he was doing some sort of Indian war dance or something. With one more stomp to the ground, Seele screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I WISH A SHOOTING STAR WOULD JUST SHOW UP SO I CAN WISH THAT NONE OF THIS PAIN-IN-THE-BACK PROBLEM WOULD EVER HAPPEN!"

_***Fiiiiiiiii~iiiiiiiiiuuuuuuuuuuu~uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu~***_

Seele instinctively ducked from an unnatural scream, a mass of burning metal zipping right over his head. The glowing…thing disappeared, as quick as it had appeared. After a strange moment of peace, everyone was consumed by a violent cyclone.

"UWAAAH!" Kami quickly clung onto Ashlotte and her friend held onto her. Thanks to her 'body frame' the Iron Maiden was able to act as an anchor for the Oni-girl.

"_S-SACRE BLEU~_!" Lucia hugged the bunny across her chest, ducking behind a thick oak tree for cover. The tree took the brunt of the mayhem, while the little bunny clung closer to its would-be-butcher turned saviour.

"WHOA~!" Seele's face was thrown into the bottom of the fire, dousing it out. Next, he was kicked about like a ball to smash into another tree – face first; again.

Then…the wind went dead. Everything else that was left was in utter ruins. Bushes were naked, their leaves scattered to the four corners of the world. The crowns of trees were sliced in burning halves, the embers slowly evaporating due to the cold air. The ground was covered in all forms of broken terrain and debris – only missing blood and broken bodies to be considered a battlefield.

Kami cracked an eye open, a scared tear clinging to her eye as she blinked around. Ashlotte still remained sitting on the log as if nothing happened, but the portions that she was not sitting on were cleaved right off. Lucia and the bunny were shaking all over, the great oak that had protected them lying snapped into two big pieces. Seele…had seen better days.

Covered in a small hill of broken branches, shattered rock, kicked dirt, charred leaves, and whatnot, he popped his head out.

"PHFF! PHFF-PHFF…Such misfortune—" The boy slapped his mouth shut, as if he had said a swear word – which was not. "Shoot…wrong quote."

"M…M…M…_Mon Dieu_…" breathed Lucia.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what was that – _desu~_" squeaked Kami.

Ashlotte finally moved, by staring up at the bare sky, "A shooting star?"

"…That…" Seele muttered, spitting out a shard of rock from his mouth, "was no star…"

[******]

Seele rushed through the forest lane, slapping away any bush and low branch that stood in his path. He made it to a large clearing and skidded to an abrupt halt.

"…You got to be kidding—HEY!"

Kami arrived to the clearing, bumping into Seele's back. Before he could yell at her, Lucia appeared too to bump into Kami, making the Oni-girl knock into the boy again. Just when a big vein popped on Seele's forehead, Ashlotte could not stop and bumped into Lucia, who knocked into Kami, and ultimately bashed Seele straight into the ground. Not waiting for him to get up, the trio stared forward – two of the three dropping their jaws.

The area in front of them was not originally a clearing in a forest…it was a smouldering pit of molten metal and glassed dirt. It was a meter deep, many more wide in diameter, hot, smoking, and cracking with cooling glass. Lying in the heart of this pit…was a strange tip of a giant arrow.

It looked like it was lying on its side, which was almost as high as everyone grouped together. The skin bore hints of red and white, but it was next to impossible to tell as it had all turned pitch-black. Parts of the structure were broken, torn, or burnt alive, but was lucky to still land in one whole piece.

Lucia was the first to step forward, still hugging the bunny within her arms. "…D…did it create all this destruction by itself?"

"It looks big…and ugly – _desu_," Kami wondered, cowering behind the Iron Maiden. Realizing something, she gasped, "Another ogre?-!"

"I do not believe so. Cassandra mentioned that ogres are big, ugly, and unbelievably stupid. It matches the first two criteria, but it does not at all look unbelievably stupid. Therefore, it should not be an ogre."

"Then…what exactly is it?" Lucia could not help wondering.

Kami nearly fell over as Ashlotte left her side. Other than the sound of sizzling metal and earth, there was a long silence over the Chef-girl and Oni-girl while they watched the living doll approach the center of the pit.

Ashlotte stopped before the tall structure, scanning it from top to bottom with her yellow-eyes. Slowly and curiously, she reached out her hand to let her fingers touch the—

"DON'T TOUCH IT!"

Ashlotte's hand flinched back, right before her grey-skin could touch the structure's surface. She, Lucia, bunny, and Kami turned to Seele behind them, who rose back to his feet. He slapped the dirt off his stern face.

"Trust me. You touch it, and it's gonna be worse than dying."

"Y-you mean it's a cursed rock – _desu_?-!"

"…Yeah, it's seven years bad luck for Onis like you – NO! It's just hot as heck from atmospheric re-entry. If you put your hand on that thing, it's gonna melt in no time flat."

"…What are you talking about you _imbecille_? What 'atamos…whatever-entry'?"

Seele picked up on Lucia's back-talking, as well what he just said. His hand slapped his face again, but this time it was not for rubbing the dirt off. Ignoring her, hand still planted onto his face, he marched right past Lucia and Kami to stand next to Ashlotte.

"Could you back up a bit, Ashlotte. I'll handle this."

"Understood." The Iron Maiden obeyed, letting the boy to stand alone by the structure, "Be careful, Seele."

After a nod, Seele dropped his hand and stared at the structure. His dark cyan colored eyes scanned the object, checking every nook and cranny he could find. To the other's surprise, it seemed as if he was not seeing this for the first time. It was like…he knew what he was doing.

Seele completed the check-up after popping out from behind the structure, returning to his starting spot. All the while he was muttering to himself.

"…Man whoever this guy is, he's going to be facing one heck of a repair bill. Engines fried, hulls gonna fall apart on a sneeze, guns are right out, and—"

_***TING***_

"Hmm…Oops…" Seele lifted his foot, revealing that he had stepped onto a bowl-shaped metal plating of some kind. Cautiously, he flipped it right-side up…his face going flat without words. It was some sort of dome, bearing holes in the right places – except for a big burnt one across the very top.

"…B…_Bakka_?"

Kami watched in curiosity as Seele picked up the dome plating. With a solemn air, the boy wiped some soot away from it with his sleeve. After a sad sigh, he carefully rested the dome across the ground in an upright fashion, being as close to the structure as possible.

Rising up, Seele noticed something from the corner of his eye. There was a hole inside the structure; more like a half-hole. Actually, with a closer look, there was a ripped leather seat hiding inside that half-hole.

"…The pilot's still alive."

Kami could not help a stutter, "Wh-wh-wha?"

Seele turned about, returning to the others, "There's no body inside. The pilot must have ejected before it crash-landed. He's bound to be around here somewhere…Now, my next question is: how in the world does he expect to land in one piece without a parachute – because I know something like that has zero parachutes to begin with—"

"Are you even speaking in the same language as us, _imbecille_?-!" The boy snapped out of his thoughts at Lucia's snap. She glared at him, thinking she was being treated as a fool. Seele just pursed his lips and tried to shrug it all off. "Besides, what do you mean 'Pilot'? Why are you bringing someone from the Bible at a time like this?"

Seele gave a big and tired sigh, returning a simple shrug as his response, "Beats me…" Then he took in a deep breath to regain his composure, "Alright people, here's the plan: everyone fan out and search the woods – 5 meters apart. We'll sweep the immediate area for any signs of life, or worst case scenario a broken and/or burnt corpse, and report back if you see any suspicious activity. Acknowledge?"

No answer was given. Only flat stares.

"…I can't understand a single word you just said – _desu_…"

"…In other words Kami, we're going to look for this guy whether you like it or not."

"_Sacre bleu_ – you're not making any sense to us! What person? What Pilot? That thing is a shooting star, isn't it?-!"

"Trust me, Lucia, that's no star and there's definitely someone wandering out there in the middle of your world—WOODS! I mean _woods_ – forest!"

"How are you certain, Seele?"

"As much as I want to explain everything to you, I can't do that here. Whatever I know is a strictly need-to-know, and I don't want to be rude to you, Ashlotte, but it's not necessary for you to know…yet."

"…I understand."

Kami started to become woozy with every second her stomach grumbling. Unable to even stand anymore, she leaned against the solid Ashlotte as if to sleep on her.

"But I'm hungry and tired – _desu_~…Can't we look tomorrow after breakfast…"

Seele said nothing at first. Instead, he stepped up to the little Oni-girl and gave her a quiet look.

"This guy we're looking for it not originally from this country, Kami. You can say he's someone who has ended up lost in a foreign land…I think you know that feeling better than anyone else. Right?"

"…"

Kami did know that feeling better than anyone else. She was locked up in a cave for over 600 years. The girl had lost her close friends and she could not at all fit into the new world that was beyond her original timeframe. Everything was different. Everything was strange. Everything…was indeed foreign. And she felt so afraid of it.

Understanding Seele's meaning, the little Oni-girl stood at attention – trying hard to push aside her hunger and exhaustion. The boy could not help a supportive – if not sympathetic – smile at her, and then ruffled a hand through her red hair – much to her dislike.

Lucia had second thoughts and was going to voice them. However, she was silenced by Ashlotte who placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I think it is best we follow exactly what Seele tells us in order to search for the missing person."

"…Are you seriously going to follow this _imbecille's_ insanity this candidly?-!"

Ignoring Lucia's remark, Seele turned to face the open forest – burning determination in his eyes.

"Alright then – let's roll out!"

[******]

"BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA~! BOO~M! AND OFF THEY RUN LIKE RABBITS! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA~!"

The man in his mid 40s went on boasting with obnoxious hysteria. He was well built for someone of his stature, clad in a full military suit made out of the finest material money could buy, and heavily clad with medals of over a hundred achievements. His face was almost as broad as his chest, somewhat rectangular with a fancy curly beard sitting under his very nose. A tiny decorative fan in hand, he kept on wafting more than prideful airs as he had a huge smirk brimming across his large face.

Holstered to his belt was a single and rather regular looking sword, with a glass-crystal gem attached to the bottom of the hilt.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! We came – we saw – we trashed them into the dirt where they belong! Even those buffoons were not able to believe their own swift defeat when we came to their doorstep!"

"That was truly an amazing tactic, sir!"

"Drawing out the enemy with a small strike team, making them take the bait – and then obliterating them with artillery fire! What a brilliant victory, sir!"

The obnoxious man eyed two other individuals, wearing similar military uniforms – obviously bearing much lower ranks than his own. As the man did not bother in remember their names, he recognized them as Lieutenant #1 and Private #2.

Together, they all sat within the bowels of a majestic and expensive carriage bearing golden frames and the best of the thorough bred horses…accompanied by a huge brigade of more than 10 000 men as escorts.

That was right…this obnoxious man was a powerful general, going by the name of Eimen Zole. Enjoying the sight of his power and dominance – not to mention his recent military conquest – his huge smile grew even wider with hidden greed.

"That was just the mediocre first phase of the whole operation, my lads. I absolutely enjoyed the second and third phases: where I personally meet these measly security forces from that sand-castle of a stronghold, and wiped them out clean! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I just loved the look of sheer terror on their faces when they saw only me to come knocking at their door – or rather, _knock it_ completely down, ha-ha!"

"And because of your ingenious planning, sir General, we have one less opponent to worry about!" praised Lieutenant #1.

"What are you talking about, Lieutenant?-! So long as there is sir General with us, there is no such things as opponents!" snapped Private #2 excitedly.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! SPOT ON! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA—"

_***Screeeeeeeeeee~eeeeeeeeeeeeech~!***_

Before the General knew it, he felt the carriage suddenly stop. Thanks to his sturdy build, his entire weight anchored him in his seat. As for his two lackeys, they fell forward off theirs and hit their faces across the carriage floor.

"H-huh?-! You, driver! What's the meaning of this?-!" bellowed Eiman.

The small rectangular window behind him, the only route of communication between him and the carriage driver, opened and another soldier popped his head down for the General to see.

"S-sir, sorry, sir!"

"Don't _sorry_ me, Captain, what's the hold up?-!"

"U-uh…" Somewhat speechless, the Captain-driver moved out of view to replace himself with a pointing hand. It was aiming beyond the convoy's path and Eimen curiously peeked through that window. His face fell into a mere frown.

Blocking the road of the General's army…was another army.

It was an entire corps, two times bigger Eiman's, and they belonged to a distant kingdom in the south. Both armies were running on the same path, problem was that they were going to collide head on if they continued any further.

There was something strange between the two forces. From one point of view, both of them were just any regular army, two massive forces of men armed to the teeth and ready for war. What stood out…was that fact that they each carried an entirely different style.

The army blocking the road were made out of knights in pristine silver armor, accompanied by heavily armored dragoon cavalries, disciplined foot soldiers, dead eye archers, and the like. As for the General's men…they were truly a sight to see.

None of them wore any form of armor. Instead, they all wore identical bluish-grey military suits, leather boots, soldier caps, and cheap medals that consist of their ranks. They had no swords, no lances, no bows, but thin sabres as well as the recently discovered rifle guns. Unlike the fully trained and steel-willed knights, these soldiers of the General constantly fidgeted under the silence or would take a moment to exchange murmurs and gossips.

There was…definitely a huge gap in terms between them.

However, Eimen's frown never lightened one bit.

The leader of the entire knights corps approached the head of the General's group on his horse, a steadfast expression on his face.

"In the name of Lord Heindrich of Vasilgrad, we demand you to step aside for us to pass!"

Despite facing another army – with strange taste – the knights' leader expected an answer. Unfortunately, Eimen ignored him entirely.

"Captain…did you tell this tin-clown who is he speaking with?"

"…S-sir…no, sir…"

Lieutenant #1 perked up from his fall, shrugging off the nasty bruise across his nose, "Would you like me to declare your name, sir?-!"

The general did not bother to answer, as Private #2 was already hanging out of the open carriage door – with an equally painful looking injury across his face.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH, TIN-CAN?-! THIS IS THE GREAT – THE ALMIGHTY – THE UNSTOPPABLE: GENERAL EIMEN ZOLE!"

The leader reared back from the Private's sudden outburst, "E-Eimen Zole?"

"YEAH! THE ONE AND ONLY! THE SIR GENERAL IS EXTREMELY GRACIOUS IN NOT DEMOLISHING YOU ALL TODAY! SO, WHY DON'T _YOU_ CLEAR THE WAY FOR US?-!"

A restless atmosphere fell over everyone. The knights finally threw a bit of their discipline out the window, now beginning to stir murmurs amongst each other. Silence, tense silence. Then...

The knights' leader tilted his head to one side, going, "Never heard of him…"

_***Creeeeaaaaaaak***_

Someone disembarked from the carriage, brushing Private #2 aside without a care. Step by step, that someone walked through the brigades of soldiers. Step by step, those soldiers began to turn stark-white, radiating a dark purple aura of pure dread across their heads and shoulders. Horses quivered at this person's sheer presence, whinnying nervously as it could not move their legs. Finally, those footsteps came to a soft stop.

Standing right before the knights' leader, General Eimen Zole glared directly into his opponent's eyes.

"You've got one more chance, can-boy, and I suggest you take it…Have you heard of me, the grand General Eiman Zole?"

The knights' leader stared right back at Eimen, a contest of wits being played between the two forces' commanders.

"…I don't…neither do I care. Now move aside."

"…"

"…"

"…,…,…Hu-hu…Ha-ha-ha…Heh-heh-heh-heh…BAAAAA-HA-HA- HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

The leader's horse reared back, startled from the sudden outburst. Even the leader himself recoiled, along with his entire knights corps behind him.

The General…was laughing?

Indeed, the bold commander was reared back in a fit of pure hysteria. His laughter rang all over the two armies, even throughout the trails of the plains they both stood on. It was a mixed melancholy: of pride's hubris and greed's gluttony.

Eimen Zole ultimately silenced his own hysteria, turning it into a wide and insane smirk.

"Looks like you've really made my day, tin-boy. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…I guess proper thanks are in order, don't you agree?"

The General raised a single hand, resting the fingers around his weapon of first choice: that regular-looking sword with the glass crystal. Gently, it was pulled out by a fraction…glinting a crimson flash.

Curious, the leader examined it with a blink, "…That sword—"

_***CRASH!***_

A massive column made out of pure quarterstone slammed into the leader and his horse from the side. It slapped them away, grinding the two deep into the face of the earth that was being torn in its wake. Smoke and dust burst into the sky, bleeding out the blood of earthly destruction higher into the blue sky. The ground finally turned the sudden impact into a swift quake, rattling everyone within miles.

It was only then that the knights corps realized their leader was missing. No one knew what had happened…No one knew where it all came from…Now, no one knew what to do.

Standing the midst of waving clouds, the General stood his ground. The veil of smoke concealed half of his body, engulfing him in an eerie shadow, while it also concealed his entire weapon from the naked eye.

"…,…H…ha…ha, ah…ERAAAAAAAAA~AAAAAAAAAAAAA~AAAAAAAAAAAAAA~AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A single knight broke into a wild run, madly charging straight at his sole enemy. As if the blind rampage were a call to action, the entire knights corps were all over the General in less than a screaming second. They were going to avenge their leader…no matter the cost.

It was a pity, for the General's mad grin said 'no one is avenging nobody'.

He swung – sending hundreds of crushed and broken men flying all over. He threw a second one – blasting away hundreds more from their horses, from their weapons, from anything that could be used to easily kill a single man. One last vertical strike…then nothing. No battle-cries, no roars, no screams. Just nothing.

Casually, Eimen sheathed his regular-looking sword back into its scabbard. He purred a delighted chuckle, all the while stroking the back of the sword's glass crystal as if it were a white and fluffy cat. The deed was done…and he enjoyed it.

"Captain!" Eiman suddenly cried out.

"S-SIR, YES SIR?-!" squeaked the driver captain, popping out of the carriage's back storage trunk – a safe and sound place.

The General spun on his heels, returning straight for his luxurious carriage.

"The nuisance is dealt with. Now, make best speed back to the fort – on the double. I can't wait to enjoy this victory with a nice bubble bath and a glass of red wine."

"A-AT ONCE, SIR!"

Once again, the General kicked his head back in a hearty chuckle – indulging the sweet sensation of absolute victory.

_***BONK***_

"GAH! What in the blazes?-!"

Eimen found himself staggering backwards, clutching his forehead which suddenly stung without warning. If he had not known better, it was as if someone had the galls to throw a rock at him.

Actually, it _was_ a rock. Only instead of being thrown, it was dropped right out of the sky. It had bounced off his head and it landed into his other open palm. He snapped a glare on his men, trying to find the perpetrator. No, thought, it was not them. They were so white they could have turned into ghost in another heart-beat. Then who?

"Hmm?" The General noticed something about the rock sitting in his hand. Not only was it the size of a certain ball used in that recently discovered sport back in Scotland – golf, he vaguely recalled – but it was tied with a piece of string, which carried a folded piece of paper.

'…_Never—More~'_

Eimen went dead still at the caw of a particular bird, petrified even. Sweat started to drench him, the blood fading from his face as well as his aura of pride. The way he slowly looked up then, would make people believe he was standing before a monstrous demon he had accidentally summoned. To him, it was worse, much worse.

It was a crow.

The creature had fluttered down to perch onto the top of a dead tree nearby. Its blood-red eye fixated on only Eiman, its head twitching back and forth.

'_Never—More'_, it went again, almost chant like.

The General dropped his jaw, "Y…you again! Th-then this means—" The cold sensation of realization cut off the General's own words, his eyes automatically shooting down to the paper in his palm. Literally panicking to himself, Eimen yanked the folded item from the string and flipped it open.

Its content held a drawing…a very random one at that. It bore squiggles all over the paper, with random curves, circles, and such.

Either that…or this person had the worst handwriting in the world – of all time.

To most people, this message was impossible to decipher, but somehow…the General was able to understand as if it were as clear as crystal.

'_Hungry. Have Dinner at Midnight. See you later.'_

"…R…retreat…"

Lieutenant#1 popped out of nowhere to stand at attention behind the General. It was only when the words sunk into his mind that he began to pale as well, "S…sir? What did you just—"

"RETREAT, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKES! RETREAT!

In a blink of anyone's eyes, the General was already right back inside his carriage, frantically slapping the back of the driver's head to get the whole transport starting.

"BACK TO THE MANOR – DOUBLE TIME! MOVE IT– MOVE IT – _**MOVE IT!**_"

The carriage literally blazed off at top speed, instantly leaving behind the rest of the foot soldiers (as well as artillery crewmen and their gear) to struggle in keeping up. All the while, the Lieutenant#1 desperately ran at his best pace in order to catch up with his fleeing General.

"…A…aaaaaah…"

The leader of the knights stirred awake…his body pinned under a large slab of broken stone. 'What happened' were the only words that stuck to his drifting mind. One moment, he was a seated on top his trusted war-steed…and the next become nothing but a terrifying blur.

He felt numb, but he could not tell if it was because of his dying body…or the menacing sight that was littered before his very eyes.

Every single one of his men – both long-time comrades and new bred followers – was dead. Their broken corpses were scattered all over; the roads, the fields, the hills, everywhere – a landfill of the dead. It was a devastating sight.

And the worst part…this was not a battlefield they hoped to die in. No glory. No honor. No peace. This end…was a hollow existence.

Using the last bit of his strength, the leader turned to stare up at the sky, at the open heavens. Before the will of death made him go into a long and cold sleep, he casted this last prayer:

'_Dear Lord…make that monster pay dearly for this…'_


End file.
